St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-29
LAND LAW LECTURES
Delivered in the House Of Representatives,
With William A. J. Sparks
| as Text.
The Commissioners Actions Commended
by Some of the Members and De-
nounced by Others.
A Professor in the Beloft, WIS.,, Htg Ii
School Fatally Shot by
Burglar.
List of Successful Bidders for Fur
nfshing Army Supplies in
- the Northwest.
The chinese ard Land Laws.

nfshing Army Supplies in
- the N Northwest.
'N The Chinese ard EaNd Laws.
WASHINGTON, June 2S.-The house
went into committee of the whole. Mr..
Reganaof Texas. in the chair, on the sun
dry civil appropriation bill.
Mr.. Morrow California, moved to amend
the bin by increasing from So, 500 to SI0,100
the appropriation to meet the expenses in
cQr Cd under the Chinese immigration act and
By adding prov.so requiring the secretary
OF the treasury 10 cause to oe prepared pre-
liminary aud return ceit ticates iden,i wing
more particularly than Il. present the Chinese
to whom they are granted Tie am ':.d!nent
was adoptcd without division. lie clause
reiatiye to the expenses of the collection uf
revenue from, sales of public lands having
been reaufie,i. Mr. Laird of NebrasiIa, made ii
severe attack upon Commissioners SPARKS in
his administration OF the gen ,rai land Office
and quoted from II number OF letters WRITE
by homestead settlers in his district denounc-
ing the Sparks orders and characterng
% sss4.l q aAsPARKS AS A SCOURGE
worse than their grasshoppers. Mr.. Cobb
Qnd.), defending that commission, declared
that his action was meeting with the con-
demnation of every iaud-grabber and specu-
lator in the public lands. He quoted from a
letter from +. 3. Wushburne strongly Indoors
ing the commission Of the land office, aud
then quoted report OF @ special. agent taken
from the files of the interior departm mt i'm
plicating Mr.. Laird with land frauds in Ne
braska. Mr. Laird Indignantly denied the
truth of each and every allegation in the re-
port. and he and Mr.. Cobb INDUCED in q short
and spirited colloquy in which they were
heard to warn one another against maxim
any threats. Mr.. Carey (Wyo) said that It is
L 49, Nf II d,
lands reniain; that they had not been stolen
by indiv!d rails under either the homestead
timber culture, or presumption, or desert
land laws that not One-third of the 600 000,-
900 of aefeS disposed OF had been patented
under these laws; that
CONGRESS WAS RESPONSIBLE,
not the pioneers OF the West; that congress
had voted to railroad companies over 160,-
0G0 900 acres, and had given away under the
swamp act 81, 000, 600 acres, 60,6O0 600 III boun-
ties to the soldiers and sailors, $1,000, 600
under the graduation act, 10000, 900 for edu-
cation purposes and S0,000,000 for internal
improvements. If the public domain had
been despoiled. it was by these acts of con-
gress. MIR. Carey said congress should label
all OF its contemplated legislation 'bills to
preventive settlement of the great West. I"
The results attained during the past twenty
years west of the Missouri river, north of the
Indian Territory, south of the British pos
SeSSlOuS duQ 0dSG Ol luS udlu TduS0 xOl luG
Rocky mountains, speak londer than any as
sertions that could be made, saying that the
people of this section were thieves and por-
jarers. Kansas in 1854 had suffered as much
as any border state. She had less than $780,
900 population and S500,000,000 of wealth
Without mile of RAILROAD in 1864, she had
5000 miles to-day. Colorado with 80, 600 pop
ulation in 1870, had to-day 250,0UO, with
$3.50, 900, 900 of wealth and 3,000 miles of rail-
road. Nebraska, admitted twenty years ago,
with 100000 population, had to-day 100000
population, 100000, 900 of wealth and over
5000 miles of railroad.
DAKOTA,
though in possession of 500, GOO population,
great wealth and enough miles of railroad to
reach from New York city to San Francisco
without any actual representation here, has
not even been given hearing in this end of
the capital. Last [ speak with genuine pride
of my own young territory (Wyoming) carved
out of the great American desert, with
neither wealth nor population in 1870, she to-
day has 10000 population and seventy mill
ions of wealth. She has a compulsory sys-
tenn OF education. maintains over 100 schools
by direct taxation, and will have at the end
of the present year h200 miles of railroad
Sum up the results attained in these states
and territories and you will find as much pop
ulation and wealth and as great possibility as
the thirteen states had at the time they
framed the American constitution. Mr..
Carey said there could not have been better
land system to develop and make the nation
great. Mr.. Payson Qll.) said that as far as the
order of Commissioner Sparks of April 8,
1885, was concerned, he as a member of the
committee on public lands was consulted
with reference to the propriety of its issu-
ance. He had advised and counseled that it
should be issued and he stood by that order
to-day. The only regret that he had in con-
nection with that order was that it was not
continued in force until to-day.
would fail to render justice to a man if of the
opposite party, when he was striving to do
his duty, as Commissioner Sparks was en-
deayoring to do. 1t was said that Sparks was
an enthusiast. He was an enthusiast, but
his enthusiasm in reference to this question
receive home from his country. Applause
Sparks order was
NOTICE TO LAND GRADERS
that halt was to be called upon them and he
(Mr. Payson) regretted that, owing to the
pressure that had been brought by letters
written by men stepped in fraud up to their
eyes, there had not been sufficient backbone
on the part of the secretary of the interior to
keep that order in existence. Applause.
Mr.. Randall of Pennsylvania stated that he
had understood that the vote on Mr.. Nor.
rows amendment would not be taken until
this afternoon. He therefore asked unani-
nous consent that the vote be annulled. This
was agreed to and then the amendment was
rejected, "a to 81. Mr.. Blanchard of Louis
lana moved to increase from S475,0OO tt
S512, 900 for the salaries and commissions OF
registers and receivers of public lands. The
motion was rejected, and on motion of Mr.
Warner of Ohio the amount was
fixed at 100000. On motion of Mr.
Springer of Illinois an amendment was
taH TorOvidinO thQf oil faoc hx
registers and receivers from any source
which would increase their salaries beyond
3000Ia year shall be converted into the treas
ury. Mr.. Laird (Nebraska), moved to strike
out The clause appropriating $4,000 for pro-
tecting the public lands from Illegal or fraud
ulent entry. Mr.. Perkins, (Kansas), in speak
ing to the motion referred to the order OF
Commissioner Sparks as authorized and arbi-
trary and commented in terms of disapproba-
ton and denial upon the statement in Sparks
report that 80 per cent. of the entries liz
Kansas were fraudulent. 1t was remarkable
to him to see men stand here and Justify the
commissioner in working an
INJURY TO THE HONEST SETTLERS
of the West in the interest of land grant COM
panies and cattle syndicateS. Mr.. Weaver OF
Iowa asserted that the opposition to the COM
missioner's action came from land syndicates,
land spectators and loan agents. Mr.
Perkins declared that any statement that 80
or so or 25 per cent. of the entries in Kansas
were fraudulent was false and any man who
made such statement made it ignorantly or
maliciously. DIR. Cannon Qllinois) had no
doubt that some frauds existed in the public
land entries, but he did not think that fraud
should be presumed against whole popula-
ton. Pending action, the committee arose
and the house adjourned.
The house committee On public lands will
dispose of the senate amendment to the bill
to repeal the presumption, timber culture
and desert land laws tomorrow. It is
thought that the amendment will be
agreed to.
In the course of the debate Mr.. Payson
read a letter from David Davis indorsng
Mr.. Sparks.
Land Commissioner Sparks has rendered
a decision in favor of settler named Wal
den. who settled upon unsurveyed lands
which were afterwards selected by the
Northern Pacific Railroad company as in
demnity lands. The commissioners holds
that unsuryeyed lands were not affected by
the indemnity withdrawal.