The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-01-21
JONES FIGHTS "CHECKERBOARD"
LAND BILL IN CONGRESS-
Its Passage Would Mean the Exchange
of Poor, Arid Lands for
Good Lands.

\ special to the Tacoma News says
Now that it is known that an effort will
be made to secure the passage of the
so-called checkerboard land bill at the
present session, three members of the
public lands committee-Jones of Wash
ington, Shafroth of Colorado and Brun-
didge of Administrative filed a minority
report strongly opposing the measure,
and setting forth numerous reasons why
it should not be enacted into law. The
report was drawn by Representative
Jones, and reads as follows:
"The friends Of this measure do not
tell us how much land will be affected
by it. The lands granted to railroads
and wagon roads probably exceed 100,-
000, 900 acres. What part of this is arid
or semi-arid cannot be determined but
the acreage must be very large, probably
30,000,000 or 40,000,000 acres. This
measure is, therefore, one of very great
importance and invites the most careful
scrutiny. The past experience of the
government with the land bills is also
warning against hasty action on bills of
similar character.
eve cannot give this bill our support.
The more we consider it the more vicious
it appears in principle and the more in
furious in effect. Many and small indi-
vidual holdings of land are most desir.
able in this country. Baronial estates
are foreign to our institutions and con-
trary to the interests of our people. The
avowed purpose OF this bill is to concern
trate individual holdings into large and
compact estates. This is to be done, too,
solely at the cost and expense of the
government.
"The measure is almost entirely, if
not entirely, in the interest of private
holders of land. 1t might well be emit
tied, "a bill to increase the value of
private holdings within the place limits
OF land grants at the expense of the
government The use of government
property to enhance private holdings
without compensation to the government
or without some resulting general good
to the public is absolutely and indefen-
sibly wrong.
eve consider this bill great menace
to the development of irrigation under
the national irrigation law. The owners
of those lands are wide-awake, energetic
men and far better acquainted with the
conditions and possibilities of irrigation
in their respective sections than govern
ment inspectors and agents. 1t will be
very easy matter for them to select
these lands which are likely to be
brought under some irrigation project in
the future. The result will be that
government lands which might in the
future be brought under some irrigation
project will be owned by the few and
disposed of at a great profit.
'The immediate effect of this bill
would be to enhance the value of the
unsold portion of land grants and other
private holdings worth millions of dol
lars without one dollars benefit to the
government or the people. Necessity is
the mother of invention is a trite say
ing. Necessity will also make these
lands productive and, if kept separate,
they will in few years be made far
more productive and sustain more homes
than if made into baronial COW or sheep
pastures as proposed"