The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-04-12
PUBLIC LANDS.
Difficulties in the Way of Requirement
by Settlers.

LSaE Francisco Bulletin, April 11th.l
There are few States in the Union more
inviting to settlers than California. And
IN very few of the newer States, if any,
have settlers found so many difficulties
IN the way of securing any part of the
public domain. The public surveys have
been made in patches, and very much at
the discretion of Il single Federal officer
who expends the appropriations in his
own way. The consequence is that there
has never been any system in the public
surveys of this State. Many of these sur
veys have been tainted with fraud, and
have been so impertectly done that set
tier could not follow the boundaries, and
even the local surveyor hired to trace
them found inaccuracies that could not
be reconciled with any faithful work.
The Benson cases were the scandal of the
times. Without dwelling on the details
OF the disclosures made i'll those cases,
they illustrated the loose manner i'll
which the public land interests in the
State had been guarded. Theoretically,
there is no mystery about the manner of
acquiring public lands for homestead
purposes. The settler is supposed to
have access to all needed information.
All that he would have to do would be TO
walk into the Land Office, file his claim
on the quarter-section supposed to be
vacant, lay down The fee required, in due
time prove up his claim and receive his
patent. But in practice, in nine cases
out of ten, he cannot do this. His way is
hedged up. There are filings in pigeon
holes which, while part of the public
record, have never seen the light. If the
land is particularly desirable some one
not bona tide settler is generally ahead
of him.
The State Land Office has been the
subject of constant complaint for many
If hos haaT oh
by a Gordon OF professional land sharps,
so that it has been found almost impos-
slble for any settler to obtain land with
out having some professional to take
charge of his case. The school lands, for
instance. granted to the State, embracing
two sections in each township, were sup
posed to be accessible to settlers at 81 %
an acre, small per cent. being paid
down and the remainder to be called in
with interest whenever the State should
make the demand. These lands have
been subject to the hottest contention of
any public lands in the State. Practically
they were worth much more on the aver
age than the nominal price fixed for
them. The lien land complication in
creased the difficulties. When the sec
tons designated were mineral land, or
had been already appropriated, it was
provided that the same quantity OF land
might be turned over to the State out of
any other part of the public domain. The
forest reservation recently authorized by
Act of Congress and defined by the
proclamation of the President, has made
the foundation of a nominal claim for
many thousand acres of lieu land-as
much at least as was supposed to be in
included in the school sections of this
reservation. That is the present compli-
cation. The struggle is for precedence.
The rule first come, first served is sub
iect to some singular constructions.
1t is not an extraordinary circumstance
that the applicants should far exceed the
sections of land at the disposal of the
State. But no well defined rule makes
the procedure plain. What has been
needed for a long time is thorough
overhauling of the State Land Office. If
that office has been used, as many affirm,
for the encouragement of honest settlers,
the sooner such hindrances are removed
the better. What is most to be desired in
this State is very large increase of set
tiers, and not one of them should be
turned away or find single hindrance
in the way of his settlement.