Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-10-26
COpp's Land Review.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER
OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE-REC-
OMAENDATION THAT THE PRE-EMP-
TION AND TIMBER CULTURE LAWS
SHOULD BE REPEALED - REASONS
WHY.
The annual report of the Commits
sioner of the General Land Office is in
the hands of the printer and will be
given to the public in few days.
Like several of his predecessors in
Office, Mr.. Stockslager recommends
legislation for the prevention of frauds
in relation to the requirement OF title
to public lands, and expresses, in no
uncertain language, the opinion that
the pre-emption, timber culture, desert
land, and homestead laws so far as re-
lates to the commu nication clause
should be repealed or greatly modified,
and that the public domain should be
devoted exclusively to the use and
benefit of persons who in good faith
desire the same for actual homes.
An enormous array of testimony is
introduced tending to show that the
laws above mentioned admit of the
preparation of frauds, are detrimental
to the settlement of the country, and
operate to defeat the best interests oi
the government which demand that
the lands shall be actually occupied by
bona fdc citizens and settlers owning
their homes.
The repeal of the pre-emption, desert
land and commutation clause of the
homestead laws is advocated because
they afford opportunities by which un-
scrupulous speculators, with the aid Of
constituencies confederates used as
dummy settlers, are enabled to acquire
title to vast areas of land to be held
for sale at advanced prices or to be
leased to families who by reason OF
their greed are prevented from secur.
ing homes of their own. They tend
to the erection in this country of q
landlord and tenant system similar to
those of some European countries, in
consistent with the principles of our
government, and to build up q landed
aristocracy.
The timber-culture law is denounced,
not because title of land is frequently
fraudulently secured under the sa me,
but because it operates to reserve the
lands from settlement for period OF
years without any equivalent to the
government, and with but little cost tc
the timber-culture entrymen. The
entry of 160 acres costs but a small
sum rs fee and commissions. Nothing
is required of the eneryman for one
year, then he must break five acres Of
the land, at trifing cost. During
the next year he must cultivate the
five acres already broken and break
another five acres. Next year he il
required to plant five acres of timbe,
and cultivate the other five. The next
he must plant the second FIVE acre.
of timber.
Thus, at triling expense, the
party may for four years exercise com
troll of quarter section of land with
out violating or evading the law, ant
sell REIMBURSEMENT of his entry fol
a good ronnd sum, the increase ir
value rendering the privilege of enter
ing the land very valuable.
The registers and receivers of near
ly all of the district land offices, ir
letters to the Commissioner concur
in the opinion that the majority o.
public land frauds are perpetrated un
der the laws named.
1t is almost certain that the Com
missioner's report, with its convincing
testimony, will secure at the next ses
sion Of Congress, if not at this, re
peal OF the pre-emption and timber
culture, and at least a modification o
the desert land laws.
HENRY N. COPP.