Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-09
Representative Lacey Reviews
Work of the Session.
PLANS FOR HOMESTEADS
INDIAN RESERVATIONS TO BE
SOLD TO SETTLERS.
Valuable Natural Curiosities to Be
Preserved as National Parks
Alaska Homesteads Enlarged.

Representative Lacey of Iowa. chairman
Of the House committee on public lands, IL
reviewing the work of the session regard
ing public land legislation for The Star
concludes that the work accomplished !:
unusually large in volume and highly salts
factory as to policy and public good.
Taken altogether" Mr.. Lacey declared
there was more accomplished in the way
Of public land legislation at the short ses.
sion Of the Fifty-seventh Congress than ha:
been accomplished at any time previous il
the same length of time.
There were some disappointments in this
connection, however, as one of the disas-
trous results of the democratic filibuster ir
the House during the closing days of Con,
gress was the failure of legislation which
had been agreed upon for the opening VI
for settlement Of 100000 acres Of agricul
tural lands in several of the largest Indian
reservations of the country. The early par,
of the session had been devoted by those
interested in this legislation to getting q
satisfactory basis for the legislation. This
had just been reached when the filibustel
was inaugurated.
Members of the appropriations commit
tee, headed by Mr.. Cannon, opposed the
duced, that the Indian lands should be
bought by the government and then thrown
open to settlement. There was no opposi-
ton, however, from this quarter to the
proposition to have the government act as
trustee for the sale of the lands to settlers
by the Indians. BY this plan the govern
ment was to purchase the lands in trust
and as they were sold to settlers pay the
purchase price to the Indians. Under this
plan 100000 acres was to be thrown open
1oh Nf pocD 1o,, n
reservation in South Dakota 1000, 600 acres
Of the Crow reservation in Montana, and
100000 acres Of the DEVILS Lake reserva-
ton in North Dakota. The only measure
Of this class which was allowed to get
through was bill throwing open to settle
ment 100, 900 acres of the Red Lake reserva-
ton. 1t is estimated that if all of the meas.
ures had become laws, homes would have
been furnished for something like $4,000
families on the very best agricultural land
in the country"
Chairman Lacey is optimistic that this
legislation will go through early at the first
session of the next Congress and predicts
that there will be a stampede on the part
lands of these various Indian reservations.
Mineral Lands Opened.
Zone of the most important accomplish
ments Of the session just closed in the way
of public land legislation" he continued,
was the opening up of the gilsonite min
eral lands of the Uncompahgre Indian re-
servation in Utah. There has been a
heated controversy about opening up this
mineral deposit for the past ten years.
This reservation contains the entire world s
supply of gilsonite, so far as known. Gill
sonite Is high form of asphalt or pitch.
There is also on this reservation large de-
posts Of elaterite, substance used as
roofing varnish. Both minerals are in a
80 ND &c, holt I'll
sonite can be profitably used for street paw
ing. If this is proved true the deposits will
be of incalculable value to the commercial
world.
1.-The question of how best to throw these
mineral lands open to the public was one
which engrossed the attention of the law
makers for some time. The conclusion
reached was that the old discoveries, or
location made prior to 1891 should be held
valid. At the time these first discoveries
were made this land was under executive
ORDER and the general belief at that time
was that the mineral lands of such reser-
vattons were subject to location the same
as other mineral lands. In order to prevent
these lands falling into the hands of q
monopoly the law which provides for their
opening reserves every other section of land
to the government. This is somewhat dis
appointing to many prospectors who have
located claims in the last few years, as they
will not be allowed to acquire title to the
locations they have made should such loca-
lions happen to be on the section reserved
by the government.
New National Parks.
There was some important legislation
during the session in preserving the won
The House passed bill for the second
time making the petrified forest of Arizona
a national park. This petrified forest
totn of
which. on account of the lack Of authority,
are being rapidly destroyed and carried
away by curio hunters. Dynamite has
been freely used some Of the most val
liable Of the specimens.
1.-THE wonderful wind cave of South Da-
kota was made national park. This re-
markable cave is an extinct geyser. Cra-
tor lake In Oregon was also set apart as a
national park. The works of the cliff and
cave jewellers Of New Mexico were also
made the subject of legislative considera-
ton, but no final action was reached in
the effort to preserve them under special
governmental jurisdiction.
Under the leadership of President Roose-
welt an effort was made to pass a bill Gre
ating Ravens of refuge for game in the
forest reserves of the country. A bill was
introduced both in the House and Senate.
Opposition developed in the House, and
the bill introduced there failed. The Sem
ate succeeded in getting its bill through,
but the measure came to the House too
late in the session to secure action, al
though the House committee took favor
able action on the measure.
Alaska Homesteads.
"a new homestead law for Alaska was
passed. This law increased the size of the
homestead that can be taken up in Alaska
from eighty to 800 acres. Under the Alaska
homestead act Of 1893. the size of the home
stead was fixed at eighty acres, and not a
single entry has been made under that law.
The reason for this was explained to be
that no one in search of a home would go
to Alaska and be restricted to eighty acres
of land when they could obtain 160 acres
in any of the states where public land was
to he had.
"a bill allowing special surveys to be
made of coal lands in Alaska was passed
by the House, but met defeat in The Sen
ate, being objected to by Senator Heitfeld
as his last official act as senator. There
are from 20, 600 to $4,000 acres Of coal lands
in Alaska which could be worked If spe-
cial surveys were permitted to be made for
30 To-