Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17

the laws as they then stood citizen could
secure 1. 40 acres of land at comparatively
little expense to himself, and without COM
plying with the purpose Of the whole
scheme-that Of residence and cultivation
On March 3, 1891, the agitation over this
matter resulted in the repeal Of the pre-
emption and timber culture laws. Under
the timber culture law there had been
245,SA original entries, covering an acre
age Of 36,901 ,S2S acres. Up to the present
time, out Of all these filings, only 5S,213
final proofs covering S,671, 261 acres have
been made, and it is notorious fact that
probably nine-tenths of these patents have
been issued to men who have not complied
Of the spirit. Under the system of land
sales which prevailed before 1S41. and I'M
der the presumption law up to the time of
It's repeal in 1891, the government sold
about 200OO0.00O acres of land to 141 900
people. Patents are still being issued I'M
der the presumption and timber culture
laws, owing to the delays occasioned by
contest and for other reasons.
II became apparent early in the operation
OF the timber culture law that it was not
gong to serve the purpose intended, and
Congress amended the law so that the set
TIER could abandon his tree proposition and
could secure title thereto. This made the
opening still wider for fraudulent use of
the timber culture act
From the passage of the homestead law
the land Office there have been about
100000 homestead filings, covering about
1Io,0O0,0OO acres of land. Up to the pres
ent time there have been about GOO. 600 pat
entS issued, covering over S0,0N,O00 acres.
Congress amended the homestead law in
the same manner as the timber culture law
was amended, thus allowing the home
steader. after he had lived six months on
the land. to pay $1.25 per acre and receive
title. This Is called communicated home
stead, and is looked upon by those most
familiar with the working of the land laws
as most vicious feature of land legisla-
ton.
It Is an interesting and rather curious
fact to note that the average number of
patents issued to settlers upon homesteads
holds good through long term Of years.
For the last twenty years about 10000
titles have been issued each year by the
government to homestead settlers. The
fluctuations Of immigration. industrial con-
ditions and other things which apparently
AFFECT every other industry have had no
effect appreciably upon the number Of peo-
pie who have each year sought new home
upon government land. This army of
homeseekers pressed steadily on in it's work
OF retaining the wilderness.
Lands Left to the Government.
There are now left in the hands of the
government nearly 500, 900 coo acres of land.
This can be roughly divided into 2oO,000,000
acres of grazing land, 100000 acres of
than forest g., 600 900 acres of desert and
100000 acres which can be irri-
gated and thus made productive. Under
the present laws there are still numberless
ways in which the land Spectator can Sc
cure slice of this public domain. During
the past year titles passed from the gov
eminent to individuals for timber and stone
land, private grants. mineral claims, desert,
homestead and swamp claims. Coal lands,
toWnsites, military reservations, state
grants, substitution claims, church and In
dian claims, scrip and educational dona-
tons. all these and others help to swell the
total acreage which was alfenated from
public ownership, amounting in the past
twelve months to over 1900, 600 acres.
Every Secretary of the Interior for twen-
ty-five years past has urged the repeal Of
all land laws except the one by which
man can secure title to land by five years
residence upon the same. In 1883 Secre-
tary Teller said: mot another acre should
be sold for cash or scrip" The schemes
proposed by which the public domain is to
De ceded to the various states are simply
the plans of the land grabbers to secure
what Is left of the public domain by one
grand coup, instead of piecemeal, as it is
now done. The purpose and intention of
the government from it's foundation has
been to retain control of it's own estate re-
CARELESS of state lines. The Supreme Court,
recognizing this purpose, has held that mo
state formed out Of the territory of the
lands within its limits, or can exercise any
power whatsoever over them"
fortunately Congress, within the past two
years, has adopted this view with consider
able emphasis, and the energies of those
who desire to secure the public land for
purposes other than home-making have
been transferred to the effort to prevent
such legislation as would check their op-
erations and to secure new legislat ton, such
as the proposed longtime lease whereby
their position as enemies Of the homeseeker
and settler would be made stronger
number OF very strong and capable MEM
bers Of Congress have become deeply in
terested in the public land question as 1t
now presents itself, and there will be de-
termined agitation at the next session of
Congress for the repeal of all land laws
except the law under which man can Sc
cure 16O acres of public land by residing
thereon for at least five years and giving
evidence of good faith by the honest culti-
walton Of the land
The serious drawback to a successful land
business as conducted by Uncle Sam in his
great office at Washington Is that politics
plays an altogether dominant part in the
machinery. For the same reason Congress
cannot be relied upon to view the entire
matter from a broad national point of view.
The Secretary Of the Interior, Mr. Hitcn-
COCK, recently remarked: 1.-The land cues
ton, or rather the question of the public
domain, is one Of the greatest, if not the
greatest, question now before the Ameri-
can people, J. D. WHEI,PLEY