Bisbee daily review., 1903-06-12
TO RECLAIM
 THE ARID WEST
FIFTEEN MILLIONS FOR IRRaGA-
 TON.
P-oeeedsrf Sales of Public Lands for Present Fiscal Year Very tiesNy Indicate Speculative Absorption of tFseFPr5sic Domain.
{Special.

treFRn6;ie Domain.
 Especial.
 Washington, June 11.-With the 7eRd
 on the present fiscal year in sight the
 land ofhce officials estimate that over
 $15,000, 900, will have accrued to the
 benefit of the nation irrigation recla-
 1ation fund on that date. the receipts
 from the sale of public lands being in
 round numbers s7.6OO,O0O from July 1
 1902 to June 30. 1903, and the balance
 having been already available.
 Upon its face this is encouraging
 and most satisfactory news for the
 west and for those who are interested
 in seeing the government develop
 great tracts of desert land through
 national irrigation Much can be done
 with fifteen million dollars, especially
 as the money will all come back again
 to the government in annual payments
 from the settlers who receive the ben
 efts, to be immediately used over and
 over again in the construction of addi-
 tional irrigation works.
 However. the real situation as indi-
 cated by these tremendously increased
 receipts from the sales of public lands
 is not SO favorable. It in fact shows a
 condition which is alarming. These
 government receipts are derived from the safe of land under the Timber and
 Stone Act. and this record breaking increase in sales can mean nothing less than that immense areas of the pub lie domain are being rapidly absorbed into private ownership. But what
 class of ownership? The very lands which it is proposed tfrat the govern ment should irrIgate and offer to home seekers are being taken up and held for speculative purposes or ac- quired by-iarge livestock interests un
 der our loosely constructed and poorly administered land laws; they are not being taken by settlers It has been said oft and again that the public lands suitable for home making have abour all been taken lp and that those re maining must be irrigated before the settler can make a living Un a leo or even S2O- acre tract. How comes 1t ! then that such yast-acreas Of land are being disposed of as is shown by the | reports of theGenerat Land cffice-lastI year nearly 10000 coo acres and this ! year probably z5, 900 .O00 acres more?
 Speaking for his own state and town | in this connection Senator Paris Glib. son, of Great Falls, Montana, who wrote the report of the Senate Public | Lands committee last winGer urging the repeal of the above mentioned l land laws iu accordance with President RooseVelt's recommendation to Con. gress said:
 The eagerness with which the pub lie lands of Montana are being taken up will be understood when l state that SAP desert land and 765 homestead filings were made in the Great Falls |. land office during the nine months end ing April 30th iast. At this rate i LAO desert land and homestead fL i ngs will be made in this office in one Ii year ending Jufy list next, cov ering ( 500,0 acres. As there are seven land districts in Montana, un- I ioubtedly the filings for the fiscal year n this state. will cover at least 2.500,- c )oO acres-title passed to two and 2 T lal1 million acres of our very finest r arning land and with no agricultural 'ettlers coming into the stale at pres g mt worthy of note. This does not in ih dude the land taken under the Tim | Ter and Stone Act and Forest Reserve u 500,O0O acres more. T It this rate Of land grabbing. for it can e designated as nothing else. all the g lands of Montana will be ia. al en up in very short time and the le reat national work of retaining and ci ettling the farm lands will be at an '. nd. so far as this state is concerned"
 Senator Gibson promises g lively W ght in congress next year to secure T le repeal of these land laws in ac- L, ordance with the recommendation of in ie president. The Iatter's attitude F. as been clearly defined on the sub sh ct both in his recent speeches in the id states and in his last message to ch 'ngress. In his message the presi- tn ent says: sh ''So far as they are available for az De culture and 70 whatever extent they Do HJ DC ACCis~LiASN uAOcl tHe NallOHdi rigation law the remaining public olt nds should be held rigidly for the chi me builder, the settler who lives Bp- De his land. and for no one else. In NIT eff actual use the Desert Land law. res z Timber and Stone law and the MT Clause of the Homestead V have been so perverted from the | ention with which they were enacted to permit the acquisition of large P. re as of public domain for other than to Iual settlers and the consequent hay svention of settlement sto