The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1886-10-06

gotten and neglected. The company itas
aot cared to have its lands surveyed until
here was demand for them. Now that
.hese lands, even in the territories, are
taxable as soon as designated by survey,
It becomes the interest OF the peo-
Dle in all of the counties in which these
lands lie, to have them surveyed, otheF-
wise the law subjecting them to taxation
is avoided. If the railroad is compelled to
paw taxes on this land, for the general I'M
that enhance their value, the
company will soon exert itself to find set
tiers and customers at reasonable prices,
and thus the country will be earlier and
more generally developed and the burdens
be more evenly and equitably distributed.
CHANGES OF LAND LAWS. ,r~..
Congress has shown a disposition TO
change all of the laws under when clti-
zens can obtain title to lands, save the
homestead act. This attempt would never
be made if the members were familiar
with the situation. There is not one quar-
ter section in ten, on an average over thls
territory, on which man however lndas-
trious could settle, rear a home anu OBTAIN
a subsistence. He must have Irrigation 10
raise any crop. Land is of little on no
value without water. The desert land act
if only approximately carried out is more
favorable to the government, the. country
and the settlers than either of the lana
acts. The government gets as much Ief
/ its poorest land as it ever received Tor It's
richest in the Mississippi valley, the coun-
/ try is made habitable, and the settler with
his land secures the means to make 1t pro-
ductive. Some pieces Of land faVora6ly
situated can be irrigated at comparatively
little cost, while other very large tracts
can only be reclaimed by bitches of great
| length and cost, beyond the means OF any
single settler. To encourage the construc-
tion of such 1rrigating canals by the most
available means is clearly and in every to
the interest of the general government.
AS before stated, repeal OF the desert
land act would greatly retard the settle
ment Of this territory and prevent the re-
demption of millions of acres OF land.
Whatever may be true elsewhere, do nor
believe there is five per cent OF eases OF
fraudulent entry of lands under either OF
the laws in the whole territory. Ihe gen
eral suspicion Of entries to await special
investigation is working untold hardships
on our scattered frontiersmell, who have
to make long journeys at heavy cost TO
look after their titles. It discourages inn
i Droyements, and encourages litigation and
blackmailing. It is not the spirit Of our
laws that ninety-nine innocent ones should
suffer in order that one guilty one be
brought to justice. GD
II - Fof onTofa =ac
+. a hardship and unjust discrimination that
s after all the best lands in the country are
disposed Of severer restrictions should be
J" laid upon those willing to venture so far
i from a market and redeem the poorer
waste land that remains. 4t
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
Peace and good order prevail, with rare
! exceptions. Our laws are well admins
I tered by q faithful and competent judiciary.
: The addition of fourth judge to our
: bench was greatly needed by the extension
: of our settled area and the natural growth
8 of our business
Y Our territorial legislature will be in ses-
8 sion January next, and the difficult task
), will deyolve upon it to endeavor to frame
: laws within the restriction of the act Of
. the late session of congress forbiddlng ali
T special legislation and limiting public in
o debt4.dness to such narrow bounds that q
large share Of public Improvement con-
:, templated will have to be abandoned, such
; AS public roads, bridges, school and other
Il buildings, water works, etc.
2 To enact law forbidding a tree people
who ought to be, and are, the best judges
of their wants, requirements and ability
: to paw, from encumbering their own prop
: erty to secure the necessary improvements
e If it increases or makes their total indebt-
: edness over per cent. of their taxable
. property seems to ne unjust and oppres-
: sive and will only tend to prevent the de-
? yelopment of this and all other territories.
y Congress overlooked the important fact
r that an indebtedness in an amount equal
q to 20 per cent. of the taxable property of a
:, new territory like this, with only about 10
:, per cent of its possible wealth in mineral,
: agricultural and other resources developed
t would be comparatively less burden and
g easier paid than an Indebtedness equal TO
only two per cent Of the taxable property
. of full grown state, with its possible re-
L sources almost fully developed And that
It the necessities of such Indebtedness are
+ many times more in a new than in an old
! community. Hence would urge modi-
:. fication Of this restrictive enactment.
u Despairing of legislation from congress
It adapted to their special wants, and grit
r about with restrictions from doing any
!. thing for themselves so long as their terri
torial condition continues, the feeling
7 grows rapidly among our people that the
i time has come for the formation of state
y government and admission as a sovereig GA
: state. We are fully able and more than
!. willing to relieve the general government
= of the cost and trouble. Before an ena-
g bling act could become law we would
e have the necessary population, the only
: thing we now lack to complete our claim.
6 It is now likely that 500 miles of new rail-
: road will be built in Montana during an
e other year, and the addition to our popu-
: lation will be more than any two previous
# years. The fuIIness OF the time seems to
: have come that the aspirations OF our peo-
pie for the full rights of American citizen