Evening star., 1901-09-21

state to lease the same. An effort is made
to placate the irrigationists by those who
favor state control by suggesting that the
rental from these lands should be devoted
to the reclamation OF arid sections by the
construction Of government irrigation
works.
A careful analysis aof public sentiment
throughout the grazing states will show,
however, that majority of the people are
not only opposed to state control Of any
leasing system which may be adopted, but
are also opposed to any leasing system
which will give the big cattle and sheep
men monopoly of free grass. 1t is gen.
orally agreed that If practicable scheme
can be devised for leasing the public lands
it would do away with many serious evils
and be an advantage 30 the states in which
1t was adopted. There is a general fear,
however. that if Congress begins to tamper
with the question the situation would be
made much worse IN the end than it is
even now. The small ranchers of the graz
ing states do not pull, together in their eff
forts for legislation. and, recognizing this
fact, they predict the Inevitable control of
the ranges by large Individual or corporate
interests If leasing system is adopted.
To Protect All Concerned.
The only plan which has been suggested
which would protect all those concerned is
one which would be bitterly opposed by
the owners of large herds of live stock,
This plan proposes that each person. mean
ing corporation as we'll as individual, own
ing, occupying or cultivating a 16O-acre
farm shall have the right to lease four Sec
tions of 2. $50 acres of grazing land, these
leases to be made from year to year the
rental paid to be nominal say cents an
acre, and the land to be always subject to
homestead entry by any settler who NAV
desire the same, permission to be given to
fence individually or in common and pro-
lection afforded the lessees from depreda
tions by live stock owned by others. Such
a leasing system as this would make a
pasture an appurtenance of each ranch, no
matter whether 1t was q homestead or 160
acres of an immense holding by some non
resident corporation. 1t would not hinder
settlement In any way, 1T would give the
intending settler his choice of any vacant
land to which the government had not
passed title. 1t would make each settler
Independent of powerful interests and nro-
tect him in his right to maintain the small
herd of stock necessary to every u,a.tnr
farm.
The local land offices could handle these
leases under direction from washington
the same as they now handle the entries
tnGao, nnuer '9e si laha laws. This, being made a
or local favoritism which has interfarad
with an honest administration of ionS
owned by states Under such a system as
this large amount of free range would he
still left open to the cattle and sheen n,an
but In time this would be absorbed hv q
population becoming denser eyerv wear
Inc result OF the present system of free
range Is to encourage fraud in the use of tbe
land laws. The Secretary of the Interior IN
his current annual report congratnla+as
himself and the country upon the ia ct that
mere mere were during the past twelve months
1875 homestead entries made in excess of
those filed in 1900. That is to saw Snr;nr
the year ending June 30, there were ea eaS
homestead entries covering 8. .497 on acres
OF Iand. Is well known fact that at
least five years ago, with the exception of
indian reservations and districts reclaimed
by ditch companies, the arabic. habitab1e
homestead area of the west was practical
ly exhausted. Allowing as a liberal eSti
mate that 80 per cent of these homesteaIs
over which the Secretary of the Interior
offers his congratulations were made h,,
genuine homeseekens, the other so per cent
were fraudulent In that they were used hy,
people under varying circumstances for the
purpose Of preventing the settlement Of the
country. AS desirable land becomes scarcer
and the contest for Eee range fiercer the
big live stock companies are more nrone
to employ men to use their homestead
rights to file upon land which will CON
troll the water supply and the range and
the increasing number of homestead filings,
which under the present law can be com
muted into cash purchases. simply means
that fraud is becomirIy more extensive and
bolder In Its operations.
Almost Afraid to Urge the Matter.
Those who most earnestly advocate the
leasing of the public grazing lands and
who are honest IN their advocacy are al;
most afraid to urge the matter upon Con-
gress as they fear that by the time a bill
finally reaches the Presidents hands the
necessary safeguardslwin have been omit
ted or the bill will be- in such shape as to
increase rather than decrease the Difficult
ties now existing. The sole purpose and in
ten. Of the administration of the public
lands by the government is to facilitate
settlement and SO increase the population
of the western states. It has never.been
the intention to make the sale of the pub
lie domain a profitable operation. There
has been wasteful extravagance In the
past and will be in the future but where
the government has erred 1t has been in
direction of liberality towards the home
seeker. AS the area Of free land Contracts
and as 1t becomes more and more apparent
that there are comparatively few acres
which will not in time be made habitable
the question Of the administration Of the
remaining public domain becomes of in
creasing Importance.
The sensible, profitable and most scien-
tific management Of the public grazing
lands would imply payment for their use.
far more important principle must gov
ern, however, and that is the welfare OF
the homesteader. He Is the man the gov