Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-03-09
THE RESER TA1ION BILL.
1t Contains One Un-
Feature Which Ought to
be Excluded.

open the NeZ Perce Indian reSerV-
alton lands now before congress
which ought to be amended in one
important particular. We refer to
paragraf in Section 3, which re-
quires settlers to pay one-half of
the appraised price of their land
within two years from the date of
the original entry.
Now, there is no semblance of
justice in this proposition, and it
ought to be entirely excluded from
the bill. If this recruitment is al
lowed to stand it will simply work
hardship upon the unfortunate
poor who happen to be settled upon
the land; and as all settlers are
poor nowadays, it is practically
serving notice that only people
possessed of the means to pay for
their land in advance need apply.
This reprehensible proviso is
therefore a gross violation of dem
ocratic principles. In the first
place, there is no business sense in
asking people, no matter whether
they are rich or poor, to pay one
half of the price of their land three
years before they can get title. If
a private individual offered to do
business on the principle of half
cash and deliver the goods in three
years his business would be con-
sidered a bunko game. The most
honest, upright, straightforward
and proper business-like way to do
is to amend the law so that settlers
shall pay for their land when they
make their final proof.
Let us say, for instance, that
settler files on 100 acres of this
land appraised at SO per acre. He
is necessarily under more or less
expense in coming to this country,
in awaiting the opening of the land
and hunting up and inspecting the
same, in visiting the land Office
and paying the fees for filing, and
in improving his claim. For the
first two years the settler must be
paying out money all the time and
has nothing whatever coming in.
At the expiration of two years-at
the very moment when he is least
able-he is called on to pay $24O
to the U. S. land office, or one-half
the appraised value of his claim.
The settler with a bank account
can walk up to the captains office
and settle in five minutes. 1t is no
hardship on him.
But what of the poor man with
no bank account?
Where is he to raise his $240?
To a congressman with a salal Y
of $4,000 year it may seem a
trivial sum and easily raised; but
to the average citizen, and espe-
cially to the average new settler in
this far-western country, it is big
sum, and as difficult for him to
raise, under the circumstances, as
a million. The average new settler
has ordinarily nothing to support
him but his hands. Therefore we
ask again:
How can he raise this $240?
He cannot mortgage his claim,
because he cannot get title for
three years. The only way left
open for him to raise the money is
to give a chattel mortgage on his
team and on his plOw, on his wa
gon and on his COW, and on the
chickens within his gates; to in
clude in that mortgage the roof
that shelters him and his wife and
babies, the household furniture, the
Improvements on his claim, the
growing crop, and everything that
is his, to secure the usurer who
makes the loan of this $240 which
the settler owes the government.
And all for what?
Is this great democratic govern
ment of the United States in such
hopeless straits that it must exact
payment three years in advance
from the settlers on its public
lands? Is not the ethical basis O
r that legislation unsound which
,, forces a citizen into financial slav
cry? Is it good Democracy?
1t seems to us that this part o
,, the act is radically unjust on thu
! lines we have pointed out. W.
r have therefore suggested to Sen
ators Shoup and Dubois and t.
Representative Sweet the prophet.
: of amending the bill in this partic
E ular, either by omitting the claus
; altogether, or failing in that, t.
+ provide that those who cannot pa.
$ the half price at the specified tim
9 shall be charged five per cent
! annual interst, to be paid whel
{ final proof is made. Even then i
e looks mighty small business TO
n great government to exact usur,
2 from it's own people, but five pc
3 cent. payable to the government
[rr better than an 18 per cent. chatte
! mortgage held by a professions