Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-09-25

to secure homes for actual settlers,
complaints have teen rife respecting
fraudulent land entries.
The homestead, timber-culture, des.
ertland, and other other laws have
afforded addiioual opportunities, for
the perpetration Of frauds which have
not been allowed to pss unused.
From every quarter the cry oI
fraud" is heard in connection with
dispo.als Of the public dOmsin. "a
far rs fraudulent entries under what
are termed settlement laws are con
cerned, the People of every section
have the remedy In their own hands
The requirement Of title 10 public
land unde- frludolcut pre--mptipu,
homestead, limber-cutuIe. or desert.
land entry, Is a mst'er ofimpossibillty
unless the Transaction be winked at
aud the prrpetrgtrr Of the fraud be
aided and abttted by per-onz in the
Immediate neighborhoOd.
Under neatly all of these laws the
en,ryman i required 70 publish notice
ofbis intention Ia make final Iroof,
naming tue time when, the place
where, aud the officer before whom
the proof will be submitted. II lat,
entry has been trauduenIly initiated,
or If he has not complied with the re-
quirements Of the statute governing 2
such cases, his ne,ghbors surely know
1t, and with very little trouble or ex.
pense they can, either before or on the
day of making final proof, enter pro-
test against the Issuance Of patent Oh
the entry which will put the govern
meut on inquiry, and in nine cases
out OF ten defeat the attempted fraud
Bnt II seems that the men who are
willing to put themselves TO liule
Inconvenience for tue public good are
very scarce, a. few il any protests Of
this kind are filed for the sole purpose
OF protecting the public domain from
spoilatlon. Al least seven ,enths OF
the protests eufered are the result OF
spite, neighOOrhuOi quarrels. or de-
sire upon the Jsrt of the protestant to
secure the land himself.
Robbery OF Uncle Sam by taking
MS lands without giving an equivalent
does not seem to be considered by the
mass Of the people very serious
ofierse. Men who would fire guns,
ring bells, and rouse the whole coun.
try should they detect u thief with his
hands in the national money vaults
helping himself will, without concern
or smiling over the trick that is being
played, witness the commission OF
perjury by three men, and a robbery
OF the people to the extent Of a quar- n
of a section of land valued at from 5000
to SiO0.
Men who are known to have pur-
jured themselves in connection with
land claims, either as principal or
witness, 20 that 100 acres OF less OF
land might be stolen from the gov
erDment, mlngl" freely in society aud
are bonored sdd respected by their fel-
low men, while a man who steals -
IA horse from his ueighbur il, summar-
lily hanged 10 the first tree.
The government has iu its employ
special agents whCse duty 1t is 10 in
vestigs;e fraudulent entries, and the
land department is making every pos
slble effort to suppress aud prevent
frauds. Any citizen cognizaut of an
attempt to fraudulentiy acquire title
to land may secure an Investigation
aud bring the offender 10 justice. by
simply reporting Tie facts to the COM
missioner Of the general land office.
90 long as they fail to do SO, frauds
will continue 10 be perpetrated. aud
the people must take the blame.