Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-10-27
CORPS LAND REVIEW.
Annual Report of the Commissioner OF
the GeneTrl Land Onice-Hecom-
mendatiOn that the Prescription and
Timber Culture Laws should be Re
y Dealed-ReasOns Why.

Timber Culture Laws should be re
pealed-ReasOns Why.
The annual report of the Commissioner o |
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 ex
presses, in no uncertain language, the opinion
that the pre- emption timber culture, desert
land, and homestead laws 50 far as relates Il"
the Communication clause, should be repealed
or greatly modihed, and that the public do
main should be devoted exclusively TO the US,
and benefit OF persons who in good faith de,
sire the same for actual homes.
An enormous array Of testimony is intro
duced 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 inter
ests of the government which demand that
fae citizens and settlers owning their homes.
The repeal of the presumption, desert land
and Communication clause of the homestead
laws is advocated because they afford oPper
tunities by Which INSCRIPTIONS SPECTATORS
with the aid Of conscienceless confederate,
used as dummy settlers, are enabled to &C
uuire title to vas areas of land to be held for
sale at advanced prices or to be leased to
families who by reason Of their greed are pre-
vented from securing homes Of their own
| They tend to The erection in this country Of a
landlord and tenant system similar to hos
Of some European coun ries, inconsistent with
the principles OF our government, and to build
up landed arStocracy.
The timber culture law is denounced, not
because title to land is frequently fraudu
tently secured under the same, but because it
operates 10 reserve the lands from settlement
for period of years without any equivalent
to the government, and with lut little cost tc
the timber-culture entryman. The entry o
100 acres costs but small sum as fee and
commissions. Nothing is required of the en-
ryman for ore year, then he must break five
acres of the land-at trifling cost, During
the next year he must cultivate the five acres
already broken and break another tive acres
The next year he is rexuired to plant fv,
acres to timber and cultivate the other FIVE
The next he must plant the second five acre
to timber.
Thus, at triAing expense, the party may
for four years exercise complete control OF
quarter section of land without violating o
evading the law, and sell relinquishment G
r his entry for good roand sum, the increas
, in value rendering the privilege of enterin
t the land very valuable.
The registers and receivers of nearly all {
#. the district land offices, in letters to the Con
: missioner, concur in the opinion that the ms
jority of public land frauds are perpetrate
t under the laws named.
1t is almost certain that the Commissioner
report, with its convincing testimony, will s.
cure at the next session of Congress, if nj
: at this, repeal of the presumption and til
ber-culture, and at least modification Of Il
!, desert land laws.
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