Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-06-14
The Land Situation.
Phenix Herald.
We have received the following cir cular o,, the land situation.

S cular on the land situation:
 Upon every entry, without excep- tion of Government land in tine arid re- gions, made since October 2, 1888, patents have been ordered by the general land office to be withheld.
 The Secretary of Interior and Attor- ney-General have been asked to con strue the act of October ?, 1888, with drawing lands from entry and to de- fine the arid regions.
 Should they decide that all lands in the arid regions were segregated by this act, and all lands requiring irrigation for their reclamation to be arid lands, then:
 Not an acre of such land in the great West entered since October ?, 1888, can be patented and such en- tries, without unseen relief, will be cancelled.
 Tens of thousands of acres on ex- isting irrigating canals, actually being cultivated and reclaimed by water from such canals, can not now be patented because entered since Octo- Der 2, 1888.
 Thousands of bona fide settlers in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, and throughout the enti.e surround ing region have been allowed to enter Government lands, are complying with the law as they supposed it to be, and as it has existed, are getting water from constructed irrigatrng canals, are honest, hardworking set tiers, but who would to-day be denied patent for that same land, and are unconscious of the fact
 Congress has passed a law it's own officers do not understand, and since October ?, 1888, have been allowing hundreds and thousands of honest settlers and entrymen to be unwit- tingly led into the entry of Govern ment land upon which time and mon ey are being expended, and where to- day nothing stands between these set tiers and ruin but favorable con struction of this law by the Secretary of Interior.
 Millions of dollars are being expend- ed by private capital in construction of canals to reclaim arid lands, and this act of October ,, 1888, would forbid their reclamation, or that an acre of this Government land be touched since that date, and these canals be rendered useless
 It cannot be said that settlers ohn11l1 horra II1 struction of that law, for not local land office, the presumable represen- tative of the Government, but Is allow ing entries of land to-day upon con structed irrigating canals, where res ervoir sites, ditches or canals have not been surveyed and set apart by the Geological Survey Thus, since Octo Der 2, 1888. have entrymen sbeen led to believe the Government fully un- derstood the effect of that act, and that their entries were allowed ac- cordingly.
 It is said that in the passage of this act of October 2, 1888, entitled "An act making appropriation for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 0,s.l8S9, and for other purposes" which act reserves from entry, settlement or oc- cupation certain public lands, the con ference committee did not intend to prevent and prohibit the entry and reclamation of lands adjacent irrigat- ing canals or those in process O con struction, but that they did overlook the fact that the broad wording of the act would have wide reaching and disastrous effect not intended or desir- ed by it's projectors.
 Immediate relief can and should be given by the present Congress.
 Repeal said act of Ocotber 2, 1888 so far 1t might be construed -.sii'7ct land which can be reclaimed from existing irrigating canals and vested rights, allowing every person who has made entry of lands lying adjacent tC such canals since the passage of said act to perfect the title to the same Or amend Senate bill No 2,l04 and House bill No. 8,974, which are alike and have both been favorably reported by the committees and have passed 2 second reading, by adding an amend ment to Section nine of each of the above bills, beginning with the con clusion of the printed bill as follows:
 And every person who has made entry under homestead, pre-emption or desert land laws, of any desert ol arid lands, lying so adjacent to any 1 constructed canal thot tho Uata, therefrom may be used for irrigatins said lands shall be protected in hi said entry, and allowed to perfect the same subject to the exceptions in thi l sectiOn''