The St. Johns herald., 1888-09-20
COPP'S LAxD REVIEW.
Pending LeglSlatien-Mr. HOlman's
 Latest.
written for the st. Johns Herald.

- known as the Holman Public Land Bill, and Of the bill forfeiling rail road land grants, and 1t was stated that neither would pass both House of Congress at the present session. Subsequently, the fact was announ- ced that bills had been passed by the House of Representatives, and the opinion that they would not get through the Senate was reiterated.
 Mir. Holman seems to have ar- rived at conclusion ia harmony with those opinions, and adopted q very unusual-not to say unwise course with view to secure by suspension the objects he fears will prove unattainable by the ordinary methods of repeal and straightfOr- ward declaration of forfeiture.
 On August 2S, iie introduced "A Bill to suspend all laws touching the disposal of public land except the honistead law, and for other purposes" by which it is provided that public, lands of the Unite States shall be disposed of only un- der and according t0 the provisions of the homestead laws, and that the communication clause of those laws shall be imperative, until the pend ing legislation affecting such lands stall be disposed of, or until the present session of Congress shall adjourn; and that any isolated or disconnected tracts of public land Jess than 160 acres may be sold al private or pablic sale for not less than $125 per acre when in the Judgment of the Commissioner of tue General Land Office it would be proper to do so. That during and after the pendency of measures now before Congress relative to railroad grant forfeitures no act done by any of the grantees shall enlarge their right or claim to any lands covered by the grants, nor shall this pro- vision be construed to diminish or waive any right of the United States to declave a forfeiture of any of the grants.
 Tn brief letter like this it would be impossible to point out all of the errors embraced in this proposed law. In the first place it violates well established legal principles Tn attempting to accomplish by indi- fection that which has been found impossible to do in a direct legal manner. Next it undertakes to
 
 prevent persons who have made homestead entries from exercising the right to commute their entries which is vouchsafed to them by the laws under which the entries have been made. It denies 10 the pAr- sons (and their assigns) who for waivers of legal rights to valuable lands have acct pted scrip from the government, the right to locate such scrip in the manner prescribed by law and the terms of agreements between them aad the government. It undertakes to wipe out of exis- tence that rule of lay laid drwn by the Supreme Court of lhe Uni ted States by which contracts with the government are held to run un- til legallyrevoked by potent au- tbority and to impair the rights of citizens. Should it be carried into effect it would work incalcuiable in jury to the progressive eommuni- ties of the northwest. and interfere with private rights in every public land State and Territory in the Union.
 It would stop proceedings to- wards completing every entry that has been initiated under any other than the homestead law, and prob ably cause the suspension of work on every line of uncompleted land grant railroad. The Commissioner in the report which he will proba- 3 bly be called upon to make upon this bill, sIsouId em?hatically dis