The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-17


The Populists who have from time to
time managed 10 break into Congress have
done so with the avowed intention OF
aDojshing poverty. It appears that some
| Of them have been very successful in tina,
! matter, in so far as their Individual cases
! are concerned. There was PETER OF Kan
! sas, for instance, who managed to get just
| about every member of his family into
| government job for the six years he was
in the Senate each member and the head
! of the household drawing fat salary and
! "perquisites." But PETERS thrift is not
! 70 be compared with that of William Vim
cent Allen, lately PoDulist senator from
Nebraska aud at present a judge In thai
state. through appointment, by a Populist
governor. If Alien does not become q
nabob of the pains before d great while it
win not be his fault
In the last days OF the Fifty-dfth Con-
gress Senator Petugrew. PopuAst Of
South Dakota, introduced and succeeded
in having passed what mas become known
as the Reservoir act" He explained very
huently that the proposed law was de-
signed for the benefit Of the poor, down,
trodden farmer and for the protection Of
those farmers VINO had gone to the trou-
bile and expense Of constructing reservoirs
at which to water their cattle. Il pro-
vlded that persons might ENTER the pub
lie domain for the purpose Of construct
ing reservoirs. and that where such 'en-
try was made such persons might divert
10 their own use one quarter-section OF
100 acres of land for each reservoir, the
only proviso being that the use of the
reservoir should he permitted to The gen
eral public for stock watering purposes.
II furthermore provided that two years
time for the construction of a reservoir
should be permitted to a person making
an entry There was, however. no
limit fixed to the number of entries which
one person might make nor spec hcauon
of the size the reservoir should be. The
laxity of the law makes the land divert
Immediately to the use of the person max
ing the entry Notwithstanding ne may
not construct the reservoir in two years.
Thus without the expenditure of a cens,
and without any responsibility whatsoever.
the person making the ENTRY" has abso-
lutte control of the public lands for two
years. If cattleman wishes to craze
his stock on these lands. he must pay the
''enterer" Tor the privilege.
As soon as the law was passed, it is
said, Mr.. Allen began at once 10 enter
quarter sections in the Broken Bow sec
ton. For some time he has been filing
two or three, and sometimes more "en>
tries" per day. Up to last week he had
thus secured control of more than 10000
acres Of the pubic domain; and his activ-
ity still goes on. And not only Allen. but
a number of other Popunst officials are
reported to be active in fling entries"
They have formed a veritable land trust
without investing one cent of capital Al
the end of their two years of grace. IL
they find the lands improbable, they can
give them up. If they desire to retain
them, all they will have to do will be to
construct some sort of reservoir. The
law does not say anything about the ca
pacity Of the reservoirs, whether they shall
hold one gallon or a million. 1t is believed
by competent lawyers that an old-fash-
ioned watering trough would fill the re-
quirements Of the act At all events. the
'enterers' will have the use of the land
two years gratis, putting the earnings into
their pockets, and they may have it longer
or in perpetuity, by spending a few dol
lars in providing a water-place in each
100 acres.
This Reservoir act' illustrates two
things namely, that it is sometimes ex-
tIemely easy to get questionable legisia-
ton through Congress and that the Popu-
lists are about as voracious as the poll
icians Of any other party. They haven't
any objections to trusts provided they can
themselves get in on the ground floor"