The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-04
HE WILL PUT UP A FIFTY
Governor Smith Defends the
State Land Office.
REPLIES TO CRITICISMS
1t Is Charged That the State Board OF
Land Commissioners Were Negl-
gent in Their Duty-The Mouth
ing of a Noisy Press.

Governor Smith sends the Standard
the following letter in regard to STRIFE
lures made by some Montana news
papers:
ITO the Editor of the Anaconda Stand
ard:
Il notice in recent issues of the Hell
ena Independent, the Inter Mountain
and the Rocky Mountain Husbandman,
certain editorials or structures upon the
report of the state land register and
criticisng his statements in an open
letter to the Husbandman. The Inter
Mountain even went so far as to
charge that the state board of land
commissioners We're negligent in their
duty in selecting grazing lands instead
of agricultural lands. All of these pa
pers assert without qualification that
there is an abundance Of agricultural
lands surveyed and ready for selection
in the state OF Montana. The truth
of this statement depends entirely
upon what may be classified as agri-
cultural lands. The classification of
agricultural lands as fixed by the
state board of land commits
sioners is such land as can
be easily irrigated and brought
under cultivation by the expenditure
of an ordinary amount for an irrlga-
tion plant, such as the individual Eff
fort of our farming class is sufficient
to command. There is no question
but what there are large areas of val
liable bench lands, which If irrigated,
would be the most productive agricul-
tural lands, but their situation is such
at the present time that they cannot
be irrigated or reclaimed except by
the expenditure Of large sums of mon
ey ranging from $50,00o and upwards
for an irrigation plant
Now these lands, while agricultural
in character, If irrigated, are III fact,
grazing lands to-day; with this un-
derstanding of the relative terms a.r-
cultural land and grazing land, ] an
dertake to say that neither Of the pa
pers mentioned can find one section
of agricultural land surveyed and
ready for selection in the state of
Montana within 60 days, and their as
sertions to the contrary and their
structures upon Mr.. Moore and Lie
state board of land commissioners are
without warrant or foundation in fact.
1t is the mounting OF a NOISY press
talking about matters of which it
knows nothing.
There has been GRANTEE to the
state about 10000 acres for the pur-
poses Of the public institutions and
public buildings. The present board OF
LAM commissioners Turing the past
year have made very few selections
for the reason that surveyed lands ~
the quality we dasir. To Select could
not be found. There sire some good
lands yet to be survey "a and AZ soun
as the surveys are mai aud approved
selections ,h4.c1n will be made.
The critic SIN upon the present
'oethod If selecting ilodS night have
been made during past years with
much greater effect where hundreds
of thousands of acres was selected by
the state land agent and board of land
commissioners by reference solely to
the notes of survey in the United
States land office. Such methods have
been entirely discarded by the present
board: no tract or piece of land is Sc
lected or approved until il is personal
~ examined by the state land agent
or one of his assistants.
Il stand ready to defend the state
ments of the register against the I'M
merted assaults of these papers men
toned. If they can within 60 days find
n tract of $40 acres of land which
would come under the classification of
agricultural land above described that
has been surveyed and is ready for Sc
lection. then | am willing to deposit
$50 to the credit of any charitable in
stitution they may designate. provided
they will deposit a like amount If they
do not succeed in finding such a tract.
Trusting that they will either have
the manhood to correct their erroneous
statements or acknowledge their faults,
am, respectfully,
ROBERT b. SMITH"