St. Landry democrat., 1886-08-21
Startling Facts About The
Public Lands.

For several years some of the West
ern papers have been warning the coun-
try of the great crimes that English
land grabbers are committing against
the American people. At first there
was strange apathy about the land
steals by which the English corpora
tions got possession in some instances
of millions of acres of the public domain.
At last, however rev public opinion ,p S;, was
land thieves began to be spoken of in
Congress and the public press. Dis
cussions rent the veil Of secrecy under
cover of which English corporations
were rapidly absorbing the best lands
in the West. The Commissioner of the
General Land Office at last sent out
special agents to discover how much OF
the peoples natural inheritance had
been stolen by native and foreign land
thieves. One of these agents who has
been making surveys in Colorado and
Nebraska, reports that eight cases OF il
legal fencing-in have been found a
composed entirely of Scotchmen. He
has made examination of tracts con-
taiuing 100 square miles, % square
miles, 16 square miles, 70 square miles,
and is at present examining tract con-
tanning over 100 square miles. AU Of
these immense tracts of the peoples tdnd
are under the control of the Prairie Cattle
Company, and are illegally fenced-m.
This is only one of the many British
corporations that have stolen millions
of acres of the public lands. Officials in
the Land Office say that the practice of
illegally fencing-in large tracts OF land
and making fraudulent entries has been
indulged in by British and native land
thieves to a greater extent in the last
twoyears than ever before. They claim
that between five and and six millions
of acres are now illegally fenced in and
that several millions of acres are fraud
siiently entered One of the officials of
the Land Office, speaking of this whole
sale stealing Of the public lands, SAID
that if the practice is confined the cat
tie men, many of whom are Englishmen
will have entire control OF the best
public lands in the United States with
in twenty years. That this official does
not over-estimate the danger will be
evident when we state that in Wyo-
ming more than one hundred cattle
companies are reported as having
fenced in the public lands. A great
many of these companies are reported
to be English and others Scotch. yhe
way in which foreign and native COM
panies get possession OF the publlc
lands is TINS described by Major Nc
kenZie of the land office: 'These en-
tries are made along the streams that
Jun through the land, cattle men Will
employ men to herd their stock and
then will give $50 or 800 to make an
entry for 16O acres. When he has Sc
cured this it is understood that he must
transfer it to the party that gave him
the advance money. Many cattle deal
ers will not employ the men unless they
agree to make tle entries. A common
fraud in New Mexico, Arizona, Califor-
MIA, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah,
and Nevada is practiced by means OF
the Desert Land Act. That provides
that in selecting 620 acres OF desert land
25 cents per acre shall be PAID down
and that persons entering the land shall
he allowed three years in which to pay
the remainder. Instead of taking the
desert land, the practice is to take the
vegetable land. Parties hold it and get
the use of it for three years for compar-
atiyelv nothing, and then they continue
to get the use of it while it is in dis
mute. By such fraudulent practices al
these. millions of acres of land have
been stolen by native and foreign land
thieves. The following list OF illegal
entries that has been lately furnished te
the General Land Office shows to what
extent Cn1S sGGdiiug has oCCu SoluE oh
Prairie Cattle Company [Scotch1 up.
wards of 100000 acres the Arkansas
Valley Company, 100000 acres !; A. 4
MetcaIf, 100000; Mcdaniel and Davis
5000 acres Routchier and Lamb, 40
900 acres u. w. Frank, 10000; Z. G
Tame, $4,000 acres; Lewessy Bros. loo
900 acres Vrooman aud Fife, $4,000 a.
cres; Beatty Bros. 10000 acres; Check
Brown and Co, $4,000 acres, and Key
nolds Cattle Company, $4,000 acres-al
in Characterization Ranch, $4,000 a
cres: Coe & Carter, $4,000 acres Ken
nelbeck Ranch, 10000 acres-all in Ne
braska-Wm. Humphrey, $4,000 acres
and Nelson g. Son, 10000 acres in Neva
da. Entire counties are reported as be
ing fenced in, in Kansas. La Wyoming
more than 100 large cattle. com
panies are reported as havins
fencing on the public lands
Some Of these companies are said to bt
English, Others Scotch" With this re
cord before us we can form some ide;
of the way in which the peoples inner
itance has been stolen. IG is safe to sa,
that not one half the story OF the gigan
tic steal has yet been told. The gues
ton of questions just now is: VIVA
are the American people going to DO a
bout it."
Most Excellent.
- .Ll:.. Ts1,;af nf polica nny