The Ravalli Republican., 1898-03-23
MAY GET THE LANDS.
State Agrees to Rclinquish its Selections
if Possible.

state Agrees to Rclinquish its Selections
if Possible.
Helena, March 16.-The residents
IF the Bitter Root valley have
taken up the matter Of the reclama-
tion OF certain state lands in that
section and urge by petition that
they be decided back to the govern.
mcnt so that the state arid land ,
grant commission can construct d
ditch and irrcgatc them. They have
sent to the governor a petition to be
presented to the state board Of land
commissioners asking the board To
uuit-claim the land to the govern
mcnt in accordance with the opinion
recently rendered by Attorney Gen
eral Nolan. The petition is about
the longest in point Of number OF
names attached that has been re-
ceiyed by Governor Smith since he
became governor. 1t reads:
:'We, the undersigned, residents
Of the Bitter Root valley, hereby
petition your honorable body to re-
consider your action heretofore taken
refusing to qut-claim and relinqulsll
to the general government such land
as your board has selected and filed
upon as school lands in said valley,
lying north of township 6 north,
ranges 10 and 20 west, and ask that
YOU quit-claim and relinquish the
same to the United States. Your
petitioners respectfully represent
that by relinquishiny to the general
government the lands SO selected by
YOU that the state arid land commits
sion will be justified in. proceeding to
reclaim the same and other adjoining
lanes in tile Bitter Root valley, and
unless the lands as selected by you
be re]inquished and reclaimed by the
state arid land grant commission the
area Of public lands susceptible ol
reclamation is insufficient to justify
the cost of reclamation"
The names Of very many OF the
best known residents Of the vale!
are attached and it will be rather
difficult for the board to deny the
request now that it had been adj
yised by the attorney general that
there is no tcchnicalty in the way.
The independent Of last Saturda,
contains the following in relation tt
the matter:
The arid land commission will tinC
ne opposition in the state to its plan
to secure II ,O00 acres Of land in TIL
Bitter Root valley selected by TIL
state. Thc state board Of land com
missioners has endorsed the projec
and pledged itself to accept lic1
lands in place of those selected by i
in Ravalli county, il the genera
government will consent to til
transfer. The board last Decembc
refused to consider the proposition
on the ground that the lands select
ed were more valuable than any tina
, might now be secured to take thei
, place. Recently several hundrc
, residents of the Bitter Root vale
, pctitioned the board to rccOnside
it's action.
The following resolution unan
! mously passed by the board was ye:
tcrdav sent to the state arid Ian
COlil!l1lSolpll.
G Resolved, That the petition {
= the residents Of the Bitter Root va
;. lev asking the board to reconsider il
/ action as to the REIMBURSEMENT {
certain lands in said valley be gran
: ed, and that this board will gu
IS claim and relinquish.1 to the Unite
J. States said lands, provided oth'
l. lands can be secured in lieu thcreo
G that unless lieu lands can be obtai
Is ed for these relinquishcd, the boa1
G would have no authority to gu
claim or relinquish said lands.
Resolved, That we are in sympat}
u with the purpose Of said pctitio
ID and will do all we can to aid bhe Q
~ jcct contemplated by the same. a
e though the state board OF land COZ
=, missoners has expressed a Wlllin
~ ness to cooperate with the arid S1aI
+ commission in the scheme TO reclail
under the Carey act the lands
If Ravalli county selected by t
20 state, it is by no means certain TIL
l. the commission will be able to secu
l. the lands. Secretary Of the lnteri
II DllSo ullu AOHl liliSStA'llC1 VI Cl1t MIN
l. al Land Office Bingcr Hermann ha
s. made il plain they were Of the opi
III ion transfer of the lands by t
state could not be made, althou
~ neither or them stated positive
~ " that the state could not relinQui
so so it's selections. The state arid Ia
% % commission will enter into corr
!, H. pondencc with the department wi
" "s the view to definitely scttliug t
n question. II the government refu:
~ ~ to allow the state to select ot(
:, . lands in place OF those it agrees
,o deed back to the United States: t
~ scheme cannot be carried out: if
department will permit the state
RS make other selections, the board
ch land commissioners will deed
'es lands involved back to the gene
Ia government, and they will then
in filed upon under the Carey act by
se arid land commission which will ?
M coed to rrigatc them under the
he passed by the last legislature.
be Everybody Says So.
[Or Cascarets Candy Catl,artic, the most "
derful medical discovery Of the age, pI'
,.afp in RI the act