Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1889-01-05
COPp's LAND REVIEW.


Fraudulent Entries-Responsibi
Of Bettlers-ERorts OF the Land DE-.
partment to Prevent.
Almost ever since the passage of the pre-
emption law, the first Congressional enact.
mint intended to protect the poor man
against the purchaser, and to secure homes
for actual settlers, complaints have been rife
respecting fraudulent land entries.
The homestead, timber. culture, desert
land and other laws have afforded additional
opportunities, for the preparation of frauds
which have no, been allowed to pass unused.
From every quarter the cry Of ''fraud" Is
heard in connection with disposals Of the
public domain. So far as fraudulent entries
under what are termed settlement laws are
concerned, the people Of evefy section have
the remedy in their own hands.
The REQUIREMENT of title 20 Fpaaolic land
under fraudulent pre- empt.on, homestead,
timber culture, or desest.land entry, is
matter Of impossibiity unless the transaction
be wnked at and the perpetraior Of the fraud
be aided and abetted by persons in the i'm
mediate neighborhood.
Under nearly all of these laws the entry.
man is required to publish notice Of his in.
tention to make final proof, naming the time,
the place where, and the officer before whom
the proof will be submitted. If his entry
has been fraudulently Unlisted, or if he has
not complied with the requirements of the
statute governing such cases, his neighbors
surely know it, and with vefy little trouble
Or expense they can, either before or on the
day of making final proof, enter protest
against the issuance Of patent On the entry,
which will put the government on INQUIRY,
and rine cases out of ten defeat the attempt.
ed fraud. But it seems that the men who
are willing to put themselves to little in
convenience for The public good are very
scarce, as few if any protests Of this kind
are filed for the sole purpose Of protecting
the public domain from spoliation. At least
seven-tenths Of the protests enteied are the
result of spite, neighborhood quarels, OR a
desire upon the part Of the protestant to Sc
cure the land himself.
Robbery of Uncle Sam by taking his lands
without giving an equivalent does net seem
to be considered by the mass Of the people
very serious offensc. Men who would fire
guns, ring bells, and rouse the whole count
ry should they detect a thief with his hands
in the national money vaults he ping himself
will, without concern, or smiling over the
trick that is being played, witness the com.
mission Of perjury by three men, and rob
berry of the people to the extent Of quarter
of section 81 land valued at from $zoo to
$500.
Men who are known to have perjured
themselves in connection with land claims.
either as principal or witness, so that 100
acres or less of land might be stolen from
the government, mingle freely in society and
are hobored and respected by their fellow
men, while man who steals horse from
his neghbor is, by the same community,
summarily hanged to the first tree.
The government has in its employ special
agents whose duty it is to investigate fraud
ulent entries, and the land department is
making every possible effort to suppress and
prevent frauds. Any citizen cognizant Of
an attempt to fraudulently acquire title to
land may secure an investigation and bring
the offender to justice; by simply reporting
the facts to the commissioner Of the general
land Office. So long as they fail to do so,
frauds will continue to be perpetrated, and
the people must take the blame.
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