The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-01-18
PROTECT SETTLERS.
Lieu Land Claim Not Really Effective
Against Occupants OF frooA
on Railroad, Instead Of Settler.

Settlers in the states of Washington
md Oregon, and. in fact, in all the
staes through which the Northern "a
cific railroad passes. are very much IN
terested in the rulings now being made
by the interior department on the act
of congress of June 4, 1897, which Al.
lows the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company and others to select lands In
lieu of lands embraced in the various
forest reserves and held by them under
patent or under unprotected claims or
squatters' rights
In lieu of the lands SO relinquished
the railroad company and others was
authorized to select from any vacant
lands open to settlement.
The department of the interior has
held vacant lands to settlement" to
mean, if necessary, all unsurveyed
lands. Therefore. settlers or squatters
on unsusveyed lands have been very I'M
easy for some time, and many of them
felt that there is little prospect of hold
ing their claims.
The land department OF the railroad
company, however, asserts that it is
not its purpose to take the lands OF any
bona fide settler.
At the same time the department Of
the interior encourages the settlers to
continue their settlement, and within
three months after the acceptance OF
the official survey of their lands to as
Govt thoir claims therotO
The ruling of the department is that
the party first initiating the right OF
settlement has the prior claim.
Congressman Jones, of Washington,
who has just introduced relief bill on
behalf of settlers, is of the opinion
that most settlers would not think OF
fighting the railroad company, and,
therefore, the law as it was enacted
does grave injustice to settlers, as a
rule. In an interview Mr.. Jones said:
cit has been repeatedly asserted that
lands upon which there are settlers
have been filed on by the railroad COM
pany under the present law. To pre-
vent this is one of the objects of the
law. l know that settlers have their
remedy. That is to fight the claim OF
the company and establish their prior
rights. This is expensive. The set
tiers are not wealthy. The prospect OF
delay is discouraging, and many prefer
to abandon their settlements rather
than bear the expense and delay of q
contest.
1.-THE railroad cannot complain at
these provisions. If its claim to tract
of land is just it will prevail. Delay
and expense cannot hurt it as they do
the settler. All it has to do is to in
spect the land. If it finds settler
and does not think he is there bona fide
it can contest his claim as any other
contestant, but it should bear the bnr-
den of such contest. These bills are
introduced without any hostility to the
railroad, but out of desire to do JUS
tice to the settler. l believe the gov.
eminent should be quite lenient with
men who are striving to reclaim the
public domain, especially nov. when
the choice land is taken up. If we
had more owners of small tracts OF
land we would be better off"
Senator Foster and Representative
Cushman have each given much atten-
ton to the claims of settlers and their
rights, and in all cases there is an I'M.
qualified sentiment favorable to the
pioneer and BODYBUILDING squattei
and settler.