St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-21

they display political sagacity in cut
ting alOof and standing alone. The
GLOBE has only words of encourage
ment for them, even if they should in
cidentally wreck the Republican party,
and become the only formidable COM
petitor in Dakota with the Democracy.
A LAND SHARK SCHEME.
In many parts of the territory petit
lions are being circulated and numer-
ouSly signed urging congress to give all
soldiers who served the government in
the Rebellion warrant for 160 acres of
land. AS the blanks are sent out by
claim agents IN Washington, it is evil
dent that the scheme originated with
those enterprising gentlemen who are
so fertile in devising projects to fatten
of the beneficiaries of the government.
Dakota has a liberal share of the
veterans OF the war among it's
substantial citizens, and there are
few people in the territory
who would not be glad to see the
government give the most gener-
GUS recognition of the great services
rendered the country by its patriot SOL
diery. They would be glad to see every
one of them who will locate in Dakota
given patent to land enough to make
a good farm and home for them in their
declining yearS-but this enterprise of
the magnanimeus and philanthrophic
claim agents does not commend itself to
the approval of the refiective-at least,
in Dakota. Should the petitioners sue
coed in their object, and the bill become
law. probably not one in hundred
OF those who received them would
make home upon the land. They
would be sold for small sums to claim
agents and spectators, the soldiers re-
ceiving little advantage from them. AS
Dakota has the most desirable govern
ment land, it is specially interested in
this matter. The men, or Syndicates,
that would get possession of these war
rants would be enabled, through them,
to possess vast tracts of the best lands,
which will soon be needed for settlers.
This would aggravate the difficulty
which already seriously ObStructS the
filling up of parts of the territory with
actual settlers, growing out of the loose
administration of the land laws in
! former times, and the unfortunate pol
icy of giving railroads vast grants of
land. There are thousands of quarter
| sections of lands in Dakota that have
been patented by the government to
men and women who never had an in
| tentiOn to improve them and make
homes there. They established the
same sort of residence many people do
who come out from the East to obtain
| quiet and unobtrusive divorces. 1t is
only by a legal fiction that they are
granted the privileges of residents.
These thousands of land claims have no
tenants-the shanties are gone and the
bit of land once cultivated nominally to
comply with the law is but nursery of
weeds to diffuse seed over the
lands of any honest settler who may
have been so unfortunate as to locate in
the vicinity. These lands are held for
speculation by nOn-reSidentS, advanc-
ing in value as railroads are built and
the country is improved. They are. an
eye-sOre to the bona fide settlers and a
drawback to the country. And the
vast bonanza farms, with their thou
sands of acres bought of railroads for
scrip or stock, at small values, are con-
coded to be positive damage to the
country. They are very largely held
by syndicates and wealthy people. who
visit them only during the crop period.
and operate them by overseers and
tenantry, and neither owners or en-
ployes have any other interest than
to make the most they can out of the
land. They do not build homes or so
ciety, nor fill the country with school
houses and churches. They afford lit
tie support to towns about them or any
institutions that develop high civiliza
ton, doing all the trading possible
abroad. 1t would be blessing to Da-
kota if there had never been section
of its land granted by the government
to any railroad scheme. Far better haC
the land been sold in small tracts t(
actual settlers and the money given t.
the railroads. If there ever was
time when these vast farms had a usefu
mission in advertising the possibilities o.
the country in growing the finest whea
in the world, that period has passed
They doubtless do show that wheat cal
be grown on an immense scale, with al
the best mechanical appliances and sys
tematiZed labor, somewhat cheaper PEI
bushel than can the small farmer will
his one or two hundred acres in wheat
but it is the small farmers that ar,
needed to develop and fill the countr!
and make it desirable for homes. Dako
ia doesn't want any more OppOrtunitie
given spectators and land sharks, ever
if it is done under the disguise Of laud
able requital for patriotic services.
q MUST WAIT PATIENTLY.
Montana, Washington and perhap
New Mexico are eager applicants TO
statehood, as well as Dakota, but do no
, expect to be admitted in season to TAX
/ part in the presidential election thi
, year. Those in Dakota who find caus
} of complaint and grumbling in this ar
= actuated by partisanship and bad bloO
r rather than honest conviction. The
know very we'll that by any of the ordi
2 nary processes of state building no ney
3 state can get into the Union under nue.
2 less than year. There have been case
D of political or party emergency whel
some short method was devised.
Y the Republicans had complete cor
f troll of both branches of congress
: they might find an emergency, as whe
: Colorado came in just before a pres
: Dental election and did them such ser1
a ice. There is probably little doubt i
;. the mind of any Republican that d.
a kota could be relied upon to vote fO
Y Grandpa BLAINE or any other Reput
/ lican for president this year, and il