Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-13
MORE LAND FOR THE SETTLER
I. A. Fort Reiterates His Statements
I'm support of Greater
HOmesteads

Of January 81 in reference to an increase in
the amount Of land that should be granted
settlers. Why this question has not been,
from the plain principle of Justice, brought
before the people before 10 a mystery. But
with the almost complete exhaustion Of the
valuable lands Of he public domain, to
now assert that the government has at It's
disposal millions Of acres for the home
steader of any great value is a fragrant I'M
truth. Today all the choice pieces or tracts
that have any earning capacity are already
filed upon, yet all lands have a value, and
to assert that we have a great public area
upon which the American can support him
self upon the 16O-acre homestead plan, as
originally Intended, is an error and a
wrong and has brought loss, suffering and
injury upon thousands of poor, but mis-
guided men who were unable to UNDER
stand the principles which makes or ere
ates values in land, or have been every
year attempting the impossible.
In the state Of Illinois at the present
time a good township of land is capable
Of fairly well supporting a population Of
2sS settlers to a township, a resident FAM
lily on every eighty acres, allowance being
made for location. general condition and
environment, or one occupant for every
eighty acres. In eastern Nebraska or west
ern Iowa a settler to each 100 acres gives
las settlers to a township Of land, contain
ing 2S,040 acres more or less per the frac-
ton on north and west Of township. These
tracts are we'll capable Of supporting a man
and his family upon the area given, while
In the western cattle regions only from
six to eight or ten small cattlemen can be
supported by a township. Thus as the set
tier moves westward he finds the lands
less and less capable Of supporting himself
and family, and from soil tillage he must
then turn his attention to cattle growing.
Here again he discovers that as against
from one to two acres in blue grass along
the Missouri river in Iowa and Nebraska,
or the former original homestead lands,
upon which an nimal could be grown, that
those he can now secure require ten to
fifteen acres to raise and mature an AMI
NAL, as these western acres return a much
less financial return than the eastern.
Is our phiianthropic. magnamimous, noble
United States government doing Justice in
this matter by only allowing 100 acres to
the homesteads, when in some cases It
really only grants one-sixteenth in pro-
ductive capacity, as much to the present
applicant as the earlier homesteader OBJ
tanned? This Is carrying the s~ixteen-to-
one theory the wrong way, when ten acres
along the Missouri river in Kansas, Ne
braska and Iowa Is today worth more than
100 or even 800 acres are worth in western
Nebraska, Wyoming or Colorado. Now to
make the hardship more intense we find
the large cattlemen coming forward and
asking that leases be granted them for all
the remaining portion Of the public lands.
They will then own by lease $50 acres out
Of the 640-acre section, while the home-
steader will only own land enough to sup
port about ten or fifteen head Of stock or
less.
Then by what star mail route" process
will the small stockman secure land enough
to enable him to utilize the land and live,
provided he cannot release from the great
lease combination. which holds the control
Of the adjoining lands; for the 100 acres
with nothing more. is something useless
and an injury to the homesteader at the
present time on arid or subarid lands with
out irrigation.
II may be asserted that should a bill pass
the houses of congress increasing the home
stead acreage to $40 acres for western Ne
braska and 1880 for New Mexico. wyoming,
Utah and other arid western states, that at
once the cattle syndicates would employ
men to take up the government lands. But
cannot a carefully drawn bill be devised
which will define the requirements Of the
proposed stockman homestead and II neces-
sary increase the time required, to eight
instead Of FIVE years. and at the same time
dispense with the Communication clause, now
allowing the homesteader to purchase his
homestead after a certain time has elapsed
since he commenced residence.
Again. the United States government as
serts that its lands within railroad limits
are worth $3.50 per acre and s1.25 outside
OF railroad limits. yet the Union Pacific
Railroad company has a large quantity of
land for sale within its limits at from
so cents to 81 per acre. The question
arises. are our western senators and rep
resentatives alive to or aware Of the fact
that the world moves and that justice is
not being done their constituents in the
matter OF homesteads? There may be some
who will assert that we will thus rapidly
deplete the amoun Of our national public
acreage. but the sooner this is done the
better. for all. provided great combinations
do not form and secure our public lands
as the present proposed lease law would in
dictate they we're endeavoring to do. There
are certain Union Pacific railroad lane
agents In western Nebraska that are ad.
vislng buyers OF railroad lands in western
Nebraska to aim to secure from four to 81,
sections OF land for grazing purposes be.
fore they will have land enough TO property
support a herd Of q size suficient to main.
tain themselves as respectfully as a farmeI
on an eastern Nebraska or Kansas farm, :.
now supporting himself and family.
Again. taking another view OF the matter
the day Of the cattle king with his grea
herds, ranging at large. has passed. and 1
our western country can be covered Will
mall ranchmen who will own or eontro
from one to four or eight sections Of lanS
as actual individual owners, with a few
hundred head upon each ranch, the genera
prosperity Of the entire west will be great,
enhanced and a practical business basis b,
secured, from which a reliable form o
values can be estimated and the actua
earning worth OF their holdings be known
This can be brought about by encouraging
the settler to secure land enough 10 affor,
him, when engaged In the @ttle industry
q reasonable income.
Again thanking The Bee for its kindnes
In bringing this matter before the public
l remain. respectfully yours,
j l. A. FOBs