Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-02-27
THE PEOPLES LAND.
OUR CHILDREN'S HOMES TAKEN BY
FRAUD AND PERJURY.

The Paid Attorneys of the Plumber.
ers Laugh In Our Faces and Tell U,
We Can Do Nothing-It lis Time TO
Stir I'D Congress.
Every labor organization I'm the Unit
cd States, every commercial and manu-.
facturers' association. every patriotic
citizen who wishes to save the peoples
heritage i'm the public lands from
spoliation, every friend of the nationa.
irrigation movement who wants 70 pre-.
vent the public lands from being stoler
by spectators and land grabbers he
fore they can he reclaimed for actual
settlers, should write at once, without
n days delay, to their senators and rep
rescntatives in congress- urging the re
peal IN this session Of congress of the
desert land law and the Communication
ella use of the homestead act
The public domain will soon he gone
unless she stupendous frauds of th,
land grabbers and spectators who ar,
stealing it are stopped and stopped
without dclsy.
We talk of retaining the public
lands for settlers, and the people of the
United States are complaccntly con
graduating themselves on the inaugu
ration of II great national policy whicl
Will create millions of happy American
homes on the arid public lands through
the building Of great irrigation works
for their reclamation by the nationa
government
Have we bitten into Dead sea ap
pie?
VIII ii all end in nothing?
VIII the people sit idly and supinelS
by and watch their hopes and eXpecta
lions of the great national benefits
which would result from creating Oh
portunities for millions of our people tC
get homes on the public lands vanist
like mirage as we approach ii. Will,
the public lands upon which those
hopes are based are stolen from under
their very eyes by fraud and perjury
under the Ubiquitous desert land law
and communication clause of the home
stead act and the timber and stone act +.
President Roosevelt has recommend
cd to congress in his annual message
that the desert land act, the commute
ton clause of the homestead act and
the timber and stone act be Immediate
ly repealed.
VIII congress do It?
1t is very doubtful, unless a wave o.
public indignation sweeps over til.
country and finds voice In the press ane
becomes so strong that it will rouse
eastern members of congress from theii
apathy and Indifference to this great
subject
A few days ago a well known lanc
attorney in Washington ridiculed ths
idea that there was any possibility o.
getting any bill for the repeal of thes,
dangerous laws through the commit
tee on public lands of the house OF
representatives.
Was he right?
Events will determine.
There is not the slightest doubt tina
the enlightened public sentiment of tn.
whole country, so far as 1t has beck
awakened and has found expression IL
the press and through labor organiza
lions and associations of business men
demands the repeal of these loose Joint
ed and evil laws and demands that the
public lands shall be reserved for those
who will go upon them and build homes
and in good faith live upon them.
There Is no doubt that the people OF
the country are with the president II
his recommendation that these lawi
shall be repealed.
But the interests which are proftint
and have for years been profiting by
the fraud and perjury through which
the people of this country are being
robbed Of their birthright in the public
lands are politically strong In the west
especially in the grazing states, where
millions upon millions of acres of tho
richest land the sun ever shone upon
lacking only irrigation to TEEN will
fertility, are passing into the hands o.
great grazing outfits" when they
should be preserved for the men of this
generation and those to come after M
who will want them for homes.
These frauds have been ENORMOUSLY
stimulated by the passage Of tine la
tonal irrigation act and by the hope IL
the minds of the spectators who arc
stealing the lands that they will be
made more valuable by government ex
penditures under this act
The raids upon he public lands hav,
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