Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1900-02-24
Inc Minnesota Delegation Champi-
onS the Cause and Mr.. Eddy
Makes a Report.
STRONG CASE FOR HOMESEEKERS
An Argument that viii Influence the Dowa
East Congressman In Our Favor
Other Important News.

Representative +. NJ. Eddy of Mime
sofa, III an interesting report on his bill
Tor Tree homesteads on public lands for
actual and bona iide settlers recently re-
ported to the house from the committee
on public lands, states that no legislative
enactment ever placed upon the statute
books OF the nation has been more lauded
than the free homestead law of the United
States, says Washington correspondent
OF the Duluth News Tribune Passed bv
the untiring efforts of Galusha A. Grow
and his conpeers, signed by the immor-
tai Lincoln, it became law on MAY 27,
1902, and ii was one of the greatest fac
tors III the marvellous progress that the
republic has made since that time--a
progress that has astonished the world
Under its benetcent provisions the
hardy sons of New England, the thrifty
Young men of the middle and western
states and the sturdy immigrants of the
old world poured into the fertile uuoccu-
pied regions of the west, and by labor of
their hands they transformed the forests
into fruitful farms and changed the
almost limitless plains of prairie grass
into billowy fields of waving grain Git
les and tNwns sprarg up in this territory
as II by magic, churches and schoolhouses
are found at every crossroads, and no
more valuable and loyal citizens can be
found IN all the commonwealth than the
original "homesteaders" and their des-
cendants. 1t was poor mans law; poor
men availed themselves of its advantages;
but the fabulous wealth they have Gre
ated for themselves and the nation is be-
yond computation, and its repeal or med
ihcation was a thing undreanied of by the
American people.
Speedily all the most desirable vacant
lands were taken up and occupied, ex-
cept those set apart for Indian reese rva
tlons, and il soon became manifest that
these were many times larger than the
Indians or their descendants could ever
utilize, and, as the wild game had been
killed or departed the Indians were
anxious to dispose of their lands to the
United States-~as they mad previously
disposed of the lands settled and occupied
by the whites. Negotiations were Ell.
tered into by the government, and nine
teen reservations were ceded by the In
dians to the government.
For the cession of these reservations
the government agreed to pay stipulated
sums. They were thrown open to set
tlement under the homestead law only
but, contrary to all previous practice o.
the government, i'll addition to the wise
conditions of settlement, occupying and
cultivation, the government imposed
, upon these settlers, i'll addition to the
regular land Office fees, amounting t,
about SI7 per entry, the price the govern
ment had paid the Indians for the lands
| ranging from s1.25 per acre for the Sac anc
| Fox reservation in Oklahoma to S37!
per acre for the Nankton reservation il
| South Dakota, regardless of the fac
whether the lands were good, bad or in
different.
This additional condition was contrar,
to the spirit and intention of the home
! stead law, the whole theory upon whicl
! it was based being that the settler paiC
for his lands by occupancy and cultiva
tion and the government was Reimbursed
| by having its vacant and unproductiv
territory filed with a wealth creating
revenue producing population.
The prime merit OF the homestead lay
was that it enabled the industrious poo
man to obtain home without none
and without price" and robbed of tli
merit it becomes detriment instead of
boon 1t would have been far better fo
the settler. on these reservations if a
armed Gordon had meet him and turne
him back into the civilization frOf
whence he came than to have permitte
hin to enter aud waste his substance an
labor in attempting to build a home III
der conditions he can never meet.
Prior TO the opening Of these reservs
tious the government donated to state
and railroad corporations, principally III
latter, of its public domain over forty-tw
million acres of lands.
Taking into account the vast land pal
for and the character of the land heret,
fore donated, how manifestly unjust do,
| it appear to make the settlers on II
driblets of the semi-arid lands in Okl
homa, the Dakotas and the broke
swamp inter. persed, wooded, frost, lii
belt of northern Minnesota pay fro
SI.25 to 1915 per acre for their HON
steads in order that the government mi
be provided with a fund to clothe fe,
and educate its Indian wards--a burd,
which the constitution, statutory la
practice and precedent declare must
borne by the entire nation, and not by
few Of its poorest citizens.