Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-06-05
A REMARKABLE ORDER.

A REMARKABLE ORDER.
The following remarkable circular
has just been promulgated at the interi.
or department and sent to the land off,
ces throughout the country:
WASHINGTON, D. c., June 2.-The fol-
lowing circular was issued from the gen.
eral land Office today: Department of
the Interior, General land Office, Wash
ington, June 2, 1886-To registers and
receivers-United States land Office.
Gentlemen: The repeal of the "Pre-
emption Timber Culture and desert
land laws being nov the subject of con.
sideration by congress, all applications
to enter lands under said laws are here.
by suspended from and after this date
until the first day of August, 1886. and
you are hereby directed to receive no
filings or new applications for entry
under said laws during said time.
(Signed) WV. A. J. SPARKS.
Commissioner.
Approved L.Q. g. LAMAR, Secretary.
The document is all the more remark
able in being approved by Secretary
Lamar. Western people are prepared
to expect almost any kind Of q crazy
order or expression o fopinion from Mr..
Sparks bureau, and have learned to de-
pend upon Mr.. Lamar to reverse the
commissioner in all cases where the lat
ter oversteps legal bounds. Secretary
Lamar is an able lawyer, and has
promptly thrown himself between
Sparks hair-brained orders and the pub.
lie welfare, wherever and whenever
the peoples interests have been assailed
by the comlni %sioner; but his approval
of the order in question places it in a
serious light. Those who haye given
Mr.. Lamar credit for a large amount Of
legal ability cannot believe that he has
knowingly and Willingly sanctioned this
unprecedented and clearly unconsti-
tutional order. Because congress is con-
sidering the repeal of an old-established
law, it does not follow that the law
should become imperative during such
time as congress may continue to con.
slider the matter. Congress has consid-
cred the repeal OF these laws at every
session during the past four or five years.
The predecessors of Mr.. Sparks have
not deemed it q part of their duty to
set those laws aside. Neither have the
various secretaries of the interior ap-
proved such q course. Hence, there is
to u mind but n explanation of Mr..
Lamar's approval of the above circular,
and that is that he has been deceived.
We all know that Sparks will do any
thing in his power to prevent the &C.
quirement of government lands by hon.
est and conscientious settlers. He has
fought the land laws ever since he
came into Office and walked rough
shod over every ruling or order origina.
ting from his predecessors. He has EN-
ployed special agents to find fraud, and
when they reported that no fraud ex.
listed he has replied that they must find
it. He has reversed the supreme
COURT so to speak, demolished execu.
tive orders, dlsregarded all precedent
in the management of his office, and,
Notwithstanding the rebuff he has re-
ceived in the shape of reversal after re.
%versal, he now proclaims to the world
that the introduction of a bill to repeal
q law is an %abrogation of that law and
he actually puts this proclamation in
print and sends it broadcast for intelli.
gent men to read and laugh at.
We cannot believe that Secretary La.
mar is a party to so gross an infringe.
ment of the legal force of constitutional
measures. We cannot believe that he
approved Sparks last order with q full
knowledge of ITS meaning or an under.
standing Of its purpose.
IA telegram from Washington yester.
day states that Secretary Lamar has de.
cided that the order must be with.
drawn. Tally another against Sparks.