The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-01-28

owner, and no such sale shall be
made to any landowner unless
he be an actual bona fide resi-
dent on such land or occupant
thereof, residing in the neighbor-
hood of such land"
at will be noted that the individual
ownership of lands in excess of 100 acres,
the amount determined by the secretary
to be taken under the homestead law,
must be broken up and it must be shown
to the department that this will be done
within a reasonable time after the COM
pletion of the project. 1t also must be
noted that no water right will be sold
for land unless the same is actually
occupied by the owner and he must live
in the neighborhood of same. The de-
partment must be convinced in some
way that the lands in private ownership
under the project will be actually accu-
pied by the individual owners. How
this showing can be made, of course,
must be determined by the circum-
stances and conditions surrounding the
lands covered by that individual project
and must be determined by the people
themselves. The stronger the showing
in this regard the more likelihood Of
favorable action by the department.
Not only must the extent of private
holders be shown to the department but
also the extent of individual holdings
If the individual holders exceed the
amount determined to be taken by
homesteaders, then you must reasonably
satisfy the department that these hold
ings will be speedily (the sooner the
better) broken up and occupied as the
law requires. The willingness of these
owners to lessen their holdings must be
made to appear in some way or good
reasons given for the belief that such
will be the case. If the railroad COM
panv owns land under a project the
department must be shown and con-
WINGED that these holdings will be
brought under the terms and conditions
of the act the idea being to furnish to
the government all information and all
reasons showing that the project can be
successfully carried on by the govern
ment in strict accordance with the terms,
conditions. spirit and policy of the law.
"Our people must not go on the idea
that the government will put in any
thing that is suggested for every project
will be scrutinized carefully, coolly and
calmly and by those having no local
interest or pride in the matter and we
will waste time by submitting any project
that will not bear this scrutiny. The
interest our people take in this matter
will have much to do with the action of
the department. If we are active, earn
est and alert if we show by our actions
that we are alive to the importance Of
the subject; if we show our activity by
securing information for the department
and by organizing associations, if neces-
sary, to carry out the spirit and intent
of the law, it will 90 long way toward
persuading the department to do it's
part of the work with promptness and
despatch. If we do not, the work will
go elsewhere.
"In other states they are forming
associations composed of the land owners
under the submitted projects organized
for the purpose of preparing rules and
regulations for this government and con-
troll of the district covered and in order
to convince the secretary of the interior