The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-15

tt
receive the judicial Interpretation Of
the United states circuit court Tor !obi
district.
Il have to request hat YOU bring TIE
matter 20 the attention Of he United
States attorney for your district al the
earliest day practicable. furnishing HIM
with a copy of this letter"
A New judicial District.
Senator Teller's bill for the redlvision
OF the United States into judicial cir
I quits will be vigorously pressed by the
senator. IL will have the hearty sup
port OF all the mountain state senator's.
who are much interested in having an
independent circuit. This bill groups
Montana. South Dakota. Colorado. wy
oming. Idaho and Utah in the Eighth
circuit. while the Ninth is restricted 10
Nevada and the three slope states. The
bill also rearranges some Of the East
ern districts.
But there are many indications that
there will also be n determined oppo-
sition TO Senate Teller's proposition.
The storm center Of the opposition will
be at 81 Paul. where IL is believed
that the establishment of the circuit
would greatly diminish the Importance
OF the COURTS III 81. ldul ne Allllilf-
sofa senator's are therefore opposed TO
the bill. There is also in evidence
opposition from the other sanity city
down the Mississippi ST. Louisans Ee-
lieVe that the new circuit would lead
To the establishment Of a court OF APP
peals at Denver. aud operate to de-
crease the -scque Of the st. Louis
courts. The bill will. however. be
strongly supported by the senators
from The states embraced I'm the pro-
posed circuit. and there are II Of them.
which will make the measure quite for
midable.
Reclamation of Arid Lands.
Representative Shafroth is making
every effort 90 get his bill for the
reclamation of arid lands considered at
this session. This bill gives Montana
and each OF the other arid land states
"A million acres of land. The bill has
been favorably reported from the COM
mittee on public lands and also the
committee on irrigation of arid lands.
Mr.. Shafrofh took occasion in the
house this week TO make n clear state
ment OF the provisions OF his bill and
the arguments in favor Of it.
He said: The Carey act. which was
passed some s or 10 years ago. granted
To each Of the arid land states 1000. zoe
acres of arid and upon the state re-
claiming the same. That act was crude
legislation. IL was placed on an APP
preparation bill. An amendment was
made TO it called the Carter amend
ment. which gave certain additional
procedures in retaining this land. 1t
has been found that this law Is totally
lnapplicable. The reason il is inappli-
is that the law as embodied i'm
the Carey act now provides that whCn
any state wants to reclaim a given
body of land II shall make a plat of the
land that IL desires To reclaim. That
plat Is to he filed with the secretary Of
the interior, and when ia is approved
by him the land is then segregated
from the public domain and no entries
can be made upon IT,.
The practical operation of the pro-
visions of this act has been that as
o as "A state entered upon a project
reclaim some Of his arid land. pend
ing the delay between the time Of the
making Of the plat and the approval
of the secretary of the interior. various
people DESTROYS to take advantage of
the states Improvement have filed
some OF the land. The state has
found when the plat was finally an
proved that part Of the land has been
filed upon n consequently IL can not
utilize the same. This law attempts 20
remedy the defects Of the Carey act
n the Carter amendment thereto.
Upon that point 81 provides that when
the governor OF the state shall make an
a affidavit that the state proposes 10 re-
claim some Of this land and files a plat
with the local land office, that imme-
upon the filing of that plat the
shall be segregated from public
entry for six month";
The result OF that provision will be
that as soon as the state files its plat
then 81 will be too late for the speCu-
To go N locate upon this land.
Consequently he can not thwart the
state i'm its purposes. The other details
Of the bill have been gone over by the
on public lands. The COM
Of the land office has. I'm a
written communication TO MS. suggest
ed various amendments 90 u We
adopted those amendments. except.
perhaps. I'm one instance. The original
hill included territories. and It was
thought by the committee that 1t would
not be wise at this time to give that
right to territories. So that proposition
was not included.
The situation as 10 arid lands is sim
ply this: These lands are Of no use. no
utility whatever. TO the government.
They are absolutely worthless. and I'M
less they are reclaimed they are Of no
benefit TO anyone. When they are re-
claimed they are very productive. The
West now has no lands 20 which the
public land laws OF the United States
can apply. \ man will not locate IN
that country upon leo acres Of land be
cause he has no water for Il. The
water Of the streams has been appro-
priated. The result follows-we must
build reservoirs, we must store his
water, and then let IL ou upon his
land.
at takes large expenditures Of money
to do this, and the state. either directly
or through contractors. must undertake
the work. When II is done Il will pro-
duce large DEVELOPMENT I'm the West.
but as II is now the land laws Of the
United States. except I'm very rare in
stances are totally inapplicable. That
being the case, we believe hat this leg
islation, which has been carefully con-
sidered by two committees. this bill to
amend the Carey act and the Carter
substitute. and which perfects that leg