The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-16
Demand for Government Lands in
This State Increasing.
a FEW HoMEsrEAos TO SELL.


The interest taken hr Immigrants and
oshsrs i'm government lands open To set
Element In Washington ss shown by the
number Of letters OK Inquiry that reach
the land offlee In thss district every day.
If the other lard offices In the state arc
equally addressed, and there IL every rea-
son To belsese they are. then an average
Of neariy 40 people day are writing for
h0speH In Washington
On one day this week Mr.. Smith, OF the
local United States land office. wrote
twenty-five letters to parties who wanted
Washington IaHfs. Unfortunately. PEG.
PIC fTquirinx for government lands are
not aware Of two facts. namely: That
the officials In a land office are not al
lowed 10 know, officially the character Of
any OF the government land. and, second
~. they are not supposed to advise any
body where to locate ON government lands.
Tho law requires persons taking up
tracts Of government land to make an az
fidavIt as to the character Of the land on
which they settle. II they homestead the
land they must swear Themselves. and
brfng two witnesses besides to prove that
the land II agricultural land
II they take up timber claim they
must swear and prove BY two witnesses
besides that the land they want In chiefly
valuable Tor timber. So with "a mining
claim. although the local land office has
really 1ssihing to do with mining Claims.
The large amount Of unsuryeyed gov
ernmcnt lands In this state places the var
ious land offices at a disadvantage In CIV
ing information. TIE officials are unable
TO furnish wnuld-ae settlers with the
meets and bounds of certain lands. and
can only say to them You can settle on
such and such land and make your own
bounds. By-aad-hye when the land you
are living on In surveyed. the boundaries
Of your claim viii be- settled
Another SIGNALLING Heck.
Another stumbling block to the land Of
fee officials is the right of selection by
the state and by railroad companies en-
powered by speeiai acts OF congress TO
select certain lands. Both the Atate and
tho railroad companies seem 10 have a
habit OF botsans up serenely and selecting
lands without warning and when least
expected, and usually the lands they Sc
lect are the lands most in demand By set
tiers.
Thus the maps In the land offices are
constantly changing. III IA man is told
today that a piece Of land Is open TO set
Element. he may find IL taken tomorrow.
when he comes TO siie IL. by the state.
railroad or some one else who has filed
on the tract while he was investigating.
These troubles multiply az the desire for
Washington lands increase. Ii is the old
story OF everybody wanting something
want II.
''For every man who comes to this state
Go buy railroad lands there Is generally
two With him who want 10 take up gov
eminent lands. but they want their land
TO adjoin or at least 10 ae adjacent To the
tract purchased by their friend" said
Register Tyler OF the land office Mine
out OF ten OF these people come here SIM
ply because this Is the great center OF
travel on the Northwest coast. and IL is
difficult to make them understand that
this office knows nothing about the gov
erument lands except in this district.
The Case Of y Woman.
why, the other day wcll-dressed wo-
man came into this ONCE and said she
wanted TO take up homestead. Now I
am telling you tho truth In relating what
followed:
"swhere do you desire to locate your
homestead asked Mr. Smith.
.'oa. anywhere near the car lines. she
answered. There ts n lot of government
land around the city. | am told.
II did my beat 10 convince the lady that
we could not accommodate her with $50
acres of land near car line. bat did not
succeed. as | know. Again, people VINO
come In To tab. up hand say IN answer 10
our question as 20 where they want TO
locate. Where would you locate II you
were in my placer
Vow, the government does not allow us
10 answer that question. aud for good
were you would SO 10 such and such
place there would be - crowd OF people
60 at once aiieen that we. the land office
officials had reason Cor sending people
into a certain locality. and II the wousd-
he settler went 81 the locality and failed
10 find what no wanted be would turn
ard rsnd IA by accusing us OF sending
him 10 q place where we knew he could
net settle.
$50 you ace" continued Mr.. Tyler "tha,
we are only safe saan VIZ stick 20 the
hs4set FrS.
thousands aud tens af thous snds OF PEG
rie OH lands In Washington owned ~ the
government, Where these homes are s.
Tor the settler 10 fTd out No wih help
him all We can. hat outside oar district
W. cRa do nothing. and on unSurVeyed
lands Ia ear district We can de hsi Nttie.
II al the government ian3s were sur
Seysd II would De great hslp hat they
are not and congress seems Inclined IA
silshs the appropriations sar surveys.
"As Seattle is iaa gathering point Tor
home sask eFs il would be "A grand thing If
an otfleo sach sS yaar Paper sugEeStrd
could on opened. that h. ar ofsles VITA me
iaaps 81 all the government laHds ta ct9h
ttstFies-. Slcn nsaps caold be iss,sde even
showing stle wagon roads. railroads. rivers
etc. 1t waeai8 b 80 easy task - ma ke
shrna lai oncss asa&s they eaai3 easily be
kent ue Is reports eHrh day or each week
from the various and eftlces, giving the
iaHds sakEn un The railroads have Stsa&i
s.sttfvr AT san say Is that this offiee
has and vii continue 20 10 AT IL can 70
aid settlors hat We must obey orders.
even II we aisge sasS 81 iran row ana snea
who lusss's or knswtsg something we can
nos tell hin er woas2i not be alIewe al ~
Tell him II We c>ald
Letter. From Immigrants.
The Chamber 81 Commerce Is ia rc.ss lpt
OF letters every dav from men. generally
single men. VINO !sass taken up home
sgasa~ ana row want - sell then. oae
letter Is a sample aAasvds
- nave fsA arres If isr3. sArvs rules