The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1903-11-21
Will THEY ALL FoRcET9


Bagley and sundry other limbs Of
the State Administration have gone
down to Washington, d. G., to ask
Commissioner Richards to forget
that Idaho has statute in direct
conflict with the Carey Act, and to
say to him that if he will forget,
they will try to forget also. If the
Commissioner won't forget, then
they are going to have the Secretary |
of the Interior make him forget.
We don't know what kind of sue.
cess they will have in making the
Commissioners forgotten go, but
we are dubious about it.
The idea is to induce Commits
sioner Richards to go ahead issu-
ing patents to the State OF Idaho
just as though there was no con-
hicting law in existence, and when
the legislature meets, the obnoxious
law shall be repealed. That looks
alright, but suppose the legislature
forgets or refuses. What then?
The influences which operated to
induce one legislature to enact a
big land grabbing law, may be
quite powerful enough to induce
another legislature to let it bide.
The present State Administration
can no more guarantee the action
of the next legislation than it can
regulate the winds and the waves.
Moreover, the State Administration
cannot guarantee its own action.
We believe that in the contracts
which the State has made with con-
struction companies will be found
specific provision to the effect that
title to any lands, not settled upon
or entered within two years, shall
pass to the construction company.
Win the construction companies
forget that? Does it not look, then,
very much as though this effort to
induce Commissioner Richards to
forget is merely a play for time?
By the cry of retarding development,
paralyzing enterprise and prevent
ing settlement, the construction
companies have frightened the State
Administration into helping them
to accomplish a perversion of the
National law. That is the most
charitable view that can be taken
of the situation.
Suppose Commissioner Richards
reverses himself or is reversed by
the Secretary of the Interior, and
patents issue to the State. Then
suppose the legislature forgets tc
repeal the existing law, and the
construction companies appeal tc
the courts to compel the State tc
live up to its contract. Will no
the State be com PEELED to do it
But the construction companies arr
not counting alone upon that. They
have another reason for playing fo
time. In two or three years they
can put dummies on every quartz
section and secure the land by I
mere pretense of compliance will
the law. 1t is clear as day tina
they are after the land and will
pause at nothing to secure it. A
stated, we believe that the land wa
made consideration in the contract
To that extent the State is an &C
complete in this shady business
It is, therefore, unfortunate tina
the present Administration, whic
had nothing to do with the enac
ment of the thieving law, and prot
ably executed none of the contract:
should now appear to be putin
~ the finishing touches on the frauc
ulent work which a former 1egislt
ture and a former administration
in collision with construction con
panies, put under way. In OF
opinion, the present State Admin
tration would be better employed
devising machinery for the stri
and honest enforcement of Commi
sioner Richards ruling than
traipsing off to Washington to al
esthetize or overcome him. Don
forget that!