Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-12
. Commission to Investigate West
ern Conditions to be Appointed.
LACEY WILL DOUBTLESS BIZ AMEMBER
Report of Cousins Withdrawal From
Politics Considered Fairy Tale
Irish Will Probably Be Continued
as Officer
IBY H. ]. MAHIN.l


& Washington, Feb. 9-It is learned
resolution is about to be introduced in
Ito the house providing for commits
sion of five to thoroughly investigate
and report on the condition and the
needs of the land laws in the west.The
recent trouble in the west over the
fencing OF public lands, homestead
sfrauds and the general mix up of the
matter have made the question one of
vital Importance which is being much
discussed. There are so many con-
flicting reports that the commission
seems an absolute necessity. The res
olution will be referred to Congress
man Lacey's committee, and if so, will
surely be reported to the house and
very likely passed, as the idea is fav-
ored by Mr. Lacey. When the com.
mission is appointed, Mr.. Lacey and
his secretary, William Reece, will
very likely be members of the commits
sion. 1t is desirious to have men on
this commission who are familiar with
public lands and legislation govern
ing them. The main work of the COM
mission will be to determine some
means of giving encouragement to set
tiers in the arid and semi-arid regions.
The regular homestead allowance Of
100 acres is not sufficient in the arid
region to maintain settler. For this
reason it is thought that the law
should be remodeled as regards the
quantity Of land. Localities differ,
and while $50 acres of land would be
abundant in state like Iowa, yet in
places like Arizona and New Mexico,
four times that amount would not
equal the $50 in other states. Much
of the land is productive it is true, but
it entails a great expense to conduct
water to it if it can be done at all.
Much of the land is only suitable for
grazing and in that case of course, it
takes much more. even four times
4 100 to support one settler as it takes
20 acres on an average for each head
#of cattle.
The five points which the commits
sion will be ordered to investigate Off
cially are: The location of forest re-
serves, use of desert land, leasing
lands, exchange of private lands for
railroad subsidy and unauthorized
fencing of public lands. Up to this
time eastern men have not paid much
attention to land legislation. 1t has
been left to the congressman from the.
western states, and of these there are
none who have the sweeping knowl-
edge and graspaof; the situation exhib-
tied by Major Lacey. Not in this SEES
sion but in the next there will be land
legislation, and the prospects are that
the men from the east as we'll as
those from the west will take an in
terest in what is being done. The
rapid settlement of the west, the ex-
haustion of arabic land and the efforts
that have been made by spectators
to get control of the valuable tracts
remaining, have already resulted in
curtailing many laws, but it is recog-
nized that others are needed. Under
the desert land law, the mining law,
the timber and stone law and other
acts intended to develop and settle
the west, there have been manipula-
ton which even the utmost care of
the government officers could not con-
troll. Time was not sufficient this SEES
sion for righting these wrongs. The
irrigation law passed last summer has
increased the value of public lands in
many parts of the west, and all prep
arations are being made through the
commission above mentioned and the
features to be passed by legislation in
another session which will develop
what is necessary to insure the future
generations homes on the public do
main.
story that all Iowonc OF yNocl,ino