The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-06-09
Distribution of Public Lands.

tory method of distributing the ianc'
IN newly opened tracts among the set
tiers. When lands were easily accessi
BILE and settlers comparatively few, the
process of selecting tract, entering
upon it, and filing the entry at the near
est Land Office, worked we'll enough
Settlers could take their time in chcos
ing homes, and there was rarely any dis.
pate as to priority of entry or Of filing
to be referred to the GENERAL Land O1llce
at Washington for settlement. This con
dltion of things no longer exists; the
desirable lands in favorable locations
are largely occupied, while the compe
tition for them is decreased. The conse-
quence is that when new reservation
is thrown open the country is treated
to such an exhibition of greedy scram-
ling and mad rushing to the superior
tracts as it was recently looked on in
Oklahoma What ought to be an or
derby, dignifiad process of distribu ton
of these lands, in accordance with the
intent Of the law, has degenerated into
a heller SHELTER, devil take the hindmost
rave, in which, the strong, brutal, and
well-eGuipped win. and the weak and
badly prepared stand little chance. 1t
is a method full of evils and entailing
mischievous consequences, but so long
as the laws remain unchanged it seems
to be conceded that it is the only legal
method.
The rioting and occasional bicodshed
is not by any means the only serious
consequence of this scramble method of
distributing public lands. There are
said to be now pending in the General
Land Office several hundred contested
entry cases, following this last Okla
homo scramble alone. This means SO
many disputed titles to lands and so
much expensive litigation before the
land can issue Where two men rush
for the same piece of land and each
claims to have entered on it first, IF the
rivals do not settle the matter by fight
in which one of them is possibly killed
an appeal must be made to Washington.
In the Land Office the case must wait
its turn and may hang along two or
three years before it is decided. A third
claimant for the tract may also appear,
who did not enter the race at all, but
stayed at the local Land Office and filed
his claim to the tract. His title depends
upon his filing before the other men en-
ter and take possession. He can prove
the instant of his filing by the records,
while they must prove the second OF
their entry by such evidence as they can
produce, and the Land Office must de-
eide between them as best it can. In
more ways than one, therefore, this
hopeless confusion, and complications
which are often entangled in the most
arbitrary manner-because no other way
out is possible-at Washington.
There is, then, need for revision of
the laws; but the difficulty is to say in
what shape the amendments shall be
cast Land Commissioner Carter advo>
Gates determining the right to the first
entry by lot, and approves bill to this
effect which has or vii be introduced in
Congress. This bill provides that where
any new lands are to be thrown open
for settlement, the Secretary CT the In
terror shall fix a day when, and deter
niue the rules under which ''cempeting
applicants for the land shall have the
succession in which they shall file their
applications determined by lot The
man draws the right to make the first
entry is to have certain time in which to
enter his land, and the others are to fol-
low in the order in which the lot deter>
mines, each having the same allowance
of time in which to file his entry. After
a time, to be fixed by the Secretary, the
to all corners, as at present. The bill
contains other provisions, amending
other portions of the present law;
but they do not directly concern the
point under discussion. Mr.. Carter fav-
ors this bill as giving all corners an equal
chance, as avoiding such disorder and
brutality as have just been witnessed in
Oklahoma, and as preventing the exists
ing occasions for disputed titles. These
reasons are all cogent and convincing
they make a strong argument in favor
of the bill They make it seem proba
BILE that this new method would work
more smoothly, with less injustice, and
so carry out the intent of the law better
than is now done.
1t is objected that the Western land
rushers will not like the proposed amend
ments, because they are well enough sat
isfied with he law as it is. This objec>
ton should not count for much, except
ing as it may cause Western members to
vote nay when these amendments are
before the House. There is much more
in the objection that such lot drawing
as these amendments contemplate would
be violation of the law against lots
teries. Upon the surface this would
seem to be the case, and if so, it is fatal
to Mr. Carriers plans. While the method
of the lot for this purpose would not
really be open to the moral objections
against lotteries, it would be unwise,
even in good cause, to weaken in any
respect this statute, as it might other
wise be proposed to do by amendment.
Rather in such event, some other way
out Of the existing muddle must be
found, and there ought to be ingenuity
among those familiar with all the details
of the situation to devise one. Others
have been suggested, like selling the
first choice of location at auction, but
this is open to more.serious objections
that the lot drawing.
Origin of Postage Stamps.
Fifty two years ago Friday, according
to number of authorities and many
philatelists, says the New York Times,
postage stamps for preparing postage on
Io4S IL 49, i