Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-10-03
SAVE THE PUBLIC LANDS
Tribune Correspondent Shows How the
Public Domain Is Being Absorbed
Under the Present Land Laws.

OOOCT INC VVSSCVt @oVO 6oWSs
Washington. d. c., Oct. 1.-(Spe-
cial.)-The strong and determined OPP
position developed at the recent Ma
tional Irrigation congress at Ogden,
Utah, to the proposed repeal OF some
of our abused land laws indicates that
if there is to be any changing or
amending of these laws it will be done
only through a thorough understand
ing of their iniQuitous features and an
awakening of the people to a realiza-
ton of the fact that under them i'm
mense quantities of valuable govern
ment property are passing into the
hands of private corporations and
spectators for a mere 1.-THE of their
value to the nation.
A resolution was introduced at the
congress by George H. Maxwell. the
rigation association-the same resolu-
ton which was passed by the last
trans Mississippi congress, quoting the
presidents words in denunciatiOn Of
these laws ana calling upon the United
States congress for their repeal. Con-
gressmen from both Wyoming and
Idaho vigorously opposed such action
and in a speech to the Irrigation con-
gress Representative Mondell of Wy
nr,inr ctrop,,C,,c1y Iofo~I4I oil 80 <hN
land laws, especially the desert land
law, which he stated had been of great
benefit to Wyoming. On the other
hand congressman Of California and
Montana denounced all three laws as
having been the cause of enormous
areas of public land passing fraudu-
lently into private ownership, and
Senator Gibson of Montana and Mr..
Maxwell both quoted land Office figures
to show that unless something is done
to prevent the absorption of these
lands the great bulk of the remaining
desirable and arabic public lands will.
in a very few years, have entirely dis
appeared.
Twenty Million Acres a Year.
AS a matter of fact a recent state
ment of the commissioner of the gen.
eral land Office shows that during the
fiscal year ending June 30. 1903, an
even twenty million acres passed from
the hands of the government, while
the report of the preceding year shows
practically the same figures-40,0 900 900
acres of public land, in round numbers,
passed into private ownership within
two years.
But those who are only partly in
formed say, well, what of it? There
are still five hundred million acres
left in the arid states and territories:
forty million acres is not >"ch a great
proportion of this vast area" The
truth is that the greater part of the
remaining public domain is composed
of irreclaimable and honorable land
mountains. rugged hills, gulches and
gorges which are o and always will
be worthless for agriculture: they can
V be used for anything but graz
ing. The forty million acres in ques.
ton were not taken from such terri.
tory; filings for them were made upon
the comparatively small remaining
areas of plain and valley lands. cap
able of irrigation under government
storage of flood waters and of sustain.
ing a great population if settled upor
in small tracts of eighty or one huu.
dred and sixty acres each-an ample
amount to sustain a man and his fam
lily, provided he has a good water sun.
ply.
Frauds Being Perpetrated.
Under the desert land act, which is
supposed to contemplate the reclama-
ticn of the land, immense areas of lard
throughout the western states ard ter.
ritories have been patented which are
now lying idle in the hands of specu-
lators and livestock concerns: as Gov
ernor Morrison of Idaho stated, this
law has succeeded in tying up a
great deal of Idaho's best land.
Under the Communication clause of the
homestead act much the same result
has obtained. A man is able to COM
mute and get title to his one hundred.
and sixty acres after building a shack
costing a few dollars and residing
upon his claim a few times during a
period of fourteen months. besides pos
sibly making a few cheap improve