The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-10
THE HOMESTEAD LAW

Oughy inoculated with the idea that
the United States Homestead laws
should be extended holus bolus to this
territory. In his article on Hawaii
published lately in the Chicago Tribune
ne repeats this idea. In every discus
sion Of the subject in which Wilcox
has INDUCED he has made it clear-and
IL is about the only thing he has made
Clear-that he has no comprehensive
or application of the Homestead law,
but has accepted the name as a fetch
just as people accept superstitions,
without any question or without any
investigation.
The truth is that the United States
Homestead law was designed by those
who had in mind the great areas Of
public lands in the Upper Mississippi
and the Missouri valleys, which for
square leagues were of practically the
same quality and of the same avail
ability; where one quarter section was
as good as another or so little different
that it was often not until a country
had been settled up that it was really
determined which was the best.
The Homestead law has failed
wherever the land to which it was
sought to be applied has been other
than of this homogeneous quality,
ready, practically, and adaptable to
settlement Congress is now and has
been for some years, wrestling with
the problem of arid lands, lands which
in some respects are comparable in
conditions to our own, in that, at least,
that they are not fitted as nature left
them and without some previous pre-
paration of road building or water sup
ply, to be made the homes of civilized,
progressive people.
The Homestead law has been given
credit by those who unthinkngly ac-
Cept it as the sum of all human wis
dom, for settling up the middle west,
ana making prosperous states of unin-
habited lands. 1t undoubtedly has
played part in this great work. But
it is too much to give it credit for it
all 1t must be remembered that prac-
tically the entire country east of the
Mississippi was settled and created in
to great states before the Homestead
law was enacted. The public lands of
this great eNpanse of territory became
private property on principles and un-
der conditions bearing analogy to the
Hawaiian land laws rather than to the
never mad any application to the pub
lie lanus of Texas Where the Home
stead law has had most effect has I'M
dOuDtedly been in the states of Iowa,
Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and the
two Dakotas. But even here the whole
effect OF land acquisition is not to be
attributed to the Homestead law.
Without doubt the immense land
grants made to railway corporations,
ana the efforts Of these railroads to at
tract settlers have been more potent
than the Homestead law alone. These
grants were, as a rue, o. al,ernate sec
tons of land for a distance of some
miles on each siue OF the ralIrOad. TINS
area and all lana ou.slue Ot 1t open to
mesteadeTsr unuer ,ne homestead
law. Yet, as a mauer of fact, il was
the railroad lands Iu-t we're generally
settled first. Settlers preferred to buy
Of the railroad, ouGusnL, IMAM to ac-
quire from the government under the
Homestead law. MIlnO..s OI acres have
been transformed unUcI Cne Homestead
law from virgin prall.e 20 productive
faimlands. But the history of the west
ward march Of empire ....a not been the
history Of, the HomesO-,-u Jaw, alone or
principally, but the -Is,ory OF the
Homestead law in conhoelIon with 9TH
er things; some Of them more potent
than it.
1t has been attempted in some quar-
tiers in this territory TO make it appear
that our public land laws were "un-
American" and that the only genuine
ly American land laws were the Home
stead laws But we find that neither
congress nor the administration has
indorsed this view and that congress
has steadily declined to legislate in re-
gard to our public lands on eX parte
advocacy Of wholesale extension OF
general land laws to them. The pro-
liabilities now are that commission
will be sent here to study conditions
before any action by congress on the
subject will be taken.
This is entirely satisfactory to al
conservative friends of Hawaii anG
should be TO every friend.
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