Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-19
"a n3n
Montana's Junior Senator is Over
Seventy Years, Though.
WANTS CHANGES IN, LAND LAWS
Deeply impressed With Congress
sionaI Responsibilities the Matter.
CHARGES EXTENSIVE FRAUD

GREAT FALLS. Mont, October IA, 1901.
To have lived nearly three-quarters of a
century life of strenuous and successful
ehoeavor and yet to have had no thought
OF politics until he was elected a United
states senator at the age of seventy-two
mas been the career of Paris Gibson, the
newly elected colleague of Senator w. A.
Clark.
Even now his thoughts are not Of polit-
zeal measures nor party advantage. He
mas but one object in view, and that is the
quickest and greatest possible, development
ana population of the state in which he
mas been powerful Industrial factor for
so many years. He comes to the Senate old
IN years, but with surprising physical and
mental vitality, prepared to<work for what
he considers the measures necessary to
insure continued prosperity for the west
ern states. His ambition is to serve upon
the public land and kindred committees
He mas no aspirations, to become a polit-
zeal power or to figure in the more impor-
tant councils. These he leaves to his col
league.
Senator Gibson has positive and radical
views as to legislation needed for the west,
and while he recognizes the necessity Of
assistance from more experienced legisla-
tors, he will undoubtedly make a consid-
cradle impression before he has been long
in washington by the earnestness with
pressing needs of the western country He
Is an interesting man. Of pleasant and
digniffed personality, with wide expe-
rience in large business affairs and an ex-
dustrial leaders.
THE homestead law he says, 'fs the
only act under which the agricultural pub
lie domain should pass to private owner
ship and this law should be restored to it's
original shape in which five years actual
residence was required before title could
be secured from the government.
THE present desert land act should be
called bill to promote perjury. 1t Is an
Ubiquitous law and should be repealed as
soon as possible.
About sixteen million acres Of the pub
lie land were decided away by the govern
ment last year. Twenty million will go
this year. At this rate the seventy-five
million acres of easily habitable and irriga-
bic land still owned by the government will
soon be gone.
1.-The land frauds of the present day are
of incredible magnitude. Millions of acres
are stolen every year through perjury on
the part of applicants or hired agents, and
by the apparent Indifference, to say the
least, of the officials of the government land
offices.
A Great Falls Case.
"One man has ESQ miles of fence near
Great Falls, inclosing thousands of acres
of the finest farming land in the state, land
to which this city has looked in the past
as one of the great resources to aid in it's
future growth. 1t is capable of supporting
a densely-settled agricultural community,
but to-day it is reserved for pasturage for
range stock through the operations of the
present landlords. That is but one instance
Mile after mile of the choicest land in the
public land states has been secured by
spectators and livestock men through the
fraudulent use Of the land laws and co the
serious detriment of the country as q
whole. 1t is the best of this land which is
taken each year. The people of the United
States are being robbed Of their property
and the homeseekers are being cheated Of
the chance to get start in life, such as
was taken advantage Of by the pioneers of
earlier days.
These statements are made by a conser-
Vati.sa5 business n1ffn who Is thoroughly fa-1
mliar with all conditions prevailing. Paris
Gibson would be The last man to be charged
with extravaganza of language by the peo-
pie Of his state. He was born in Maine
in 1929 In 1858 he went to Minneapolis,
then frontier settlement, and was one Of,
the pioneers in the great Touring industry
of Minnesota. In 1873 he went into the
sheep business in Montana at Fort Benton,
and In 1882 he laid the plans for city near
the Great Falls of the Missouri. after
which he named his enterprise The bald
prairie was all he had to build upon but
with prophetic eye he saw the possibilities
OF the surrounding country. In 1884 j. J.
Hill Of the Great Northern realized the pos
sibie future of the town of Great Falls
and lent his powerful aid to Senator Glib.
son In Its upbuilding. In seventeen years,
upon the site thus selected, has grown a
community which prides itself upon being
the second city in the state Of Montana,
Butte, the great mining camp, being the
only one exceeding 1t in population or
wealth.
by means of the desert land law" SAYS
Senator Gibson, title has been secured to
miles of country about Great Falls. 1t is
held for speculation or for stock range
W q a inc ha rnxyiSf 10 ~
which require reclamation and cultivation,
there are thousands Of these claims to
which the government has given title which
look today as they did when Lewis and
Clark first gazed upon them in the earliest
days Of discovery. The Spectators are
holding for rise. The stockmen, finding
the settlers crowding their ranges, get
fraudulent title to check further advances
of settlement.
For the Favored Few.
'The state government at the dictation
of the big live stock interests uses its pow
er to the utmost to put the public land
into big holdings for the benefit of the
favored few. In the enabling act of Mon
tana the leasing of more than six hundred
and forty acres to one man Is forbidden
Yet this state leases as high as fifty thou
sand acres to a single individual. State
scrip Is used in such a way as to best
fill the needs Of the big live stock men,
IHe Sldte ldiu pOdrQ IHdheS the state
lections Of federal land as certain indlvid-
uals may dictate. No pretense is made of
guarding the interests of the state or of
encouraging settlement. In Cascade cou1i-
ty alone there are about ninety thousand
acres leased to cattlemen, much of which
is land which should be used for home
building.
If Congress should cede the federal lands
to the state, in Montana, at least, a half
dozen men would control the entire state.
The big range cattle interests could get
the support of the big packing house i'll
dustry morally, financially and politically,
and no state government assnow consti-
tuted in the west could stand before the
pressure which would be brought to bear
in favor Of big land monopolies.
There is no time to be lost The public
domain should be dedicated to the farmers
and the farmers only. They are the people
who reclaim the west, build the cities and
create permanent wealth. The land office
will declare that 1t investigates all charges
Of fraud. It may do so when these charges
are made, but there are few men who &C
tuallys dare to contest the right Of big
catt1eman or sheepman to appropriate such