The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-04
LIND US.

There vii be a great battle in this Congress- over the repeal
OF the land laws. " it a question Of direct personal intercat
10 ever American .itizcn, and every American citizen should
make it ha buaincsa to understand the merits oft.
Under the Desest Land Law, an individual can take up 800
acres without living upon it n day or an hour. A man and his
wife can take up $40 acrcA, equal to Il square mile, OF the most
fertile nol in the world in ths way.
The first question is, do the American people want to give
their land to anybody save an actual resident who locates for
the pnrponcof making a home and realizing an independent
living2 1t 10 good public policy to encourage the acquinitiou
OF land by entnrpris'nR spectators who expect to acll it at u
large prolific the real settler, or to rent it to n tenant farmer,
or to consolidate it with other cheaply acquired holdings into
n large estate
These arc qucntionn which arc being asked OF Congressman
and Senators at Washington. They arc questions which af-
lrct the people Of the east IA we'll rs those living where the
pablie lands are located.
Now, why does tha question oomc home to every Preside in
this country Simply because thia land now belong. to all tho
people. It is the heritage of every American child. It ia
much in no aersly sentimental. senac, but in The most downright
practical way, 1t represents HIS hope of getting a chance to
work Tor himself on HE own laad, of making n competency for
for old age, and of leaving productive property FOR his children,
Tnia hope defeated by existing laws under which the most
valuable agricultural lands arc being absorbed at an unprece-
dontcd rate for speculation or monopoly. And there is no way Of
preventing 1t 40 loAg as theac laws remain upon the statute
booka, They were aot intended to foster real homomaling
except by n most uncertain aud indirect process, aad in their
actual application they do not usually produce this result,
This 10 the truth about The Desert Land Law, AS it is known
10 everybody who has seen it in operation. If i was necessary
once, AZ a means. of tempting capital to speculate in the dcvel-
opuent Of nav countries, IL 10 no longer 80. because Uucls
Sam himssf has taken off his coat and gone 10 digging ditches
In order TO asast che masses Of the people in getting homes on
hia big sstats.
What ia proposed An a substitute for tkc present law2 An
aHcndmentt TO the Homestead Law, by wbich y settler may in
itiate hs filing hetoret the water ia on tho land, and obtaia the
title only when he ha lived upon it aud cultivated the land in
good faith for Ave yeara. Thia plan will work no Hardship
whatevex upon Che actual acttler, hut it will ahut tAe door On
she speeulator and reader II extremely difficult for syndieates 60
consolidate many ANAL koldings iato q few large oues,
In IL good sublis policy to give a single family an amount Of
Irrigated land which would comfortably support trom eight to
esxseen tamiiiss2 That ia what We are doiag when The law Is
sthckly complied with, while there ara instances where angle
tamNiss have acquired the ownership oflauds which would sap-
port sa thewsaad people, Thha has been done. Of course,
through the shamless abnss Of the law.
The ansation II before the country, awaiting The decision Of
the peePla's representatives in Congress. 1t is u live iaaue to-
aay. but Il IL eae which time will remove from shs field Of dia-
evasion. That 10 10 aav, all the best lands will be gone unless
action Ia taken without much more delay. They ara being
taken now Atths rate of about 1000 acres a day.
WI1aaAM Il. SMrrH.