Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-01-16
DAILY POST-INTELLIGEhCtR



Seattle Chronicle.
The Po=T iSTELIIsEycEz s7ss u Ees
sJn xhy tie Government should nj
make every effort 10 guard the pubii,
lands from thieves and p.urdersrs.
Al individual who agrees 10 give or sell
a quantity Of land upon the perform
sDos Of certain conditions, you'd never
dream Of sIloxiHg the title 70 the land
10 pass out Of his hands until be had
completely satisfied himself That thOst
conditions we're s1mpiisd Sith N ever
particular. Tie GOgsrntaent Should b
equally careful 70 protect Itssif against
fraud. those who adm mater the lan7
laws owe a duty. no; alone 10 those who
claim title 10 lands, bat to ali the peo
pie and to anborn generations OF Amer
leans. Every sore Of land xrtstsd from
a rascal Who frsudulenily el4ims 1t. 10
an acre saved for tbs use 81 al homes,
settler yet to come. Every victory Hou
by the Government and the people over
q land thief or ring Of land thieves !.
a victory won by the people Set 20 come
"A victory which aids IN the pos, pone
ment Of the day whea the public landt
shall be exhausted. and Shen. WITH tn
great safety valve Of the dissatisfied
elements OF society closed forever, ths
American people shall be compelled to
meet the tremendous forces Of Social
ism and Anarehism. 1t Il victory for
the toilers In Eastern mines and work
shops who look wIth longing eyes 10 tht
free homes OF the West-a victory for
the America that is TO be.
In making such victories possible, IN
guarding the toilers Of the present and
the settlers of the future from the at
tacks Of the harpies who are preyiuR
upon the public lands, every precautiou
taken by Commissioner Sparks has been
justifiable and proper. Not only has II
been iustifiable and proper, bat 4 fat
ure 10 have taken those precautions
would have been criminal. The with
holding OF patents Ia not new thing
as the Chronicle and many other papers
who own tbs same master. would have
the people believe. Ii has beeE resorted
10 time and again. Carl SebuTz, in thu
current uumber Of the Nation claims
the credit Of having suspended timber
entries dnrisg his administration Of
the Interior Department. Indeed, Com
missioner Sparks immediate preaees-
sor suspended tue isAuanc Of patents IN
certain States and Territories for over
year, and the order WAS rescinded only
within few weeks OF the end Of the
Arthur administration, when tie land
thieves were allowed full control of the
Interior Department. Previous orders
similar to tkat OF Commissioner Spark
did not call forth such prolonged
howl from the monopoly press as Is nov
being heard. What WAS all right then
Is all wrong now. When 1t is considered
that this howl comes almost entirely
from journals which are controlled by
or under the influence OF. the great lane
grant corporations, it il apparent
enough that 1t Is nothing more than one
of the many devices made use Of by the
thieves and rinRsters IN their desperate
effort TO disefedit Commissioners Spark,
with the people, or to drive him IRON
the office from which be has already
driven them.
There Is no reason Why the temporary
Withholding Of patents should iuiare
or even inconvenience. any settler. II
defeats the schemes OF those who wish
10 poss, So themselves illegally of public
lands, but no one else has reason 60
complain OF it. How does the With
holding of patent iBjnre the settler
who IN good faith has taken up public
land for the parpose Contemplated by
the Guvernmentl II he has fully com
Piled with the l6ws bis right OF posses
sion IL Just as secure, and will be up
held by the courts just AS fully as II the
patent were In bis hands. Indeed, 20
lightly are the patents regarded that il
almost every land Office numbers of
them remain for months aud years.
simply because the settler does not
think IL worth while TO demand them.
II Is not 10 DO supposed that many bona
.fds settlers wish to mortgage or sell their
lands as soon as the patent il placed In
their hands. such q case, indeed, would
not occur one time out of thousand.
As 10 the alleged petitions from set
tiers in Dakota and Montana, il is
doubtful II they really exist. The lies
teld about the General Land 0ttice and
Its ADMINISTRATION within the past few
months have been 50 numerous aud so
varied that one can have no assurance
that this is not one of them. Bot grant.
Ing that such petitions do exist. Is it
more probable that the signatures 10
them are those Of basa Hde settlers or
those Of the thieves and their hirelinRsf
The latter have cause enough TO hate
Commissioner Sparks; the former bAve
cause to respect and honor him. When
Influential corporations combine to Sc.
cure signatures TO petitions slgnsrs are
always found in plenty II the expert
ence Of the pasi goes for anything. the
Western Congressman who have been
flooded With earnest protests agaius,
that ruling" will eonsiga them TO their
vaste-baskets. There are few instances
In the history Of oar country in which
floods of letters poured upon mem
bers Of Congress have not been guided
and directed BY ons hand. Nine ssnths
Of all such letters originate amooe the
rtnestsrs and corrnps lobby lists who 10
fest Washington. II saeh monstrous
injustice has been worked against the
settlers of Dakota and Montana, xhy
has IL not been worked against those Of
Washington as we'll ihe rule apple.
here as veil as there. YET there are 90
complaints. We know what the n OF is