The river press., 1903-10-14
WITHDRAWN FROM ENTRY.
Desert Filings in Cascade County Sus-
pended by Federal Authorities.


GREAT FALLS, Oct. 12.-More than
one million acres of land in Cascade
county have been withdrawn from
entry. The suspension order came in
a letter to the local land Office today
from W. a. Rich ards, commissioner
of the general land Office at Washing.
ton. The land withdrawn under the
order is classified as desert land. 1t
comprises all of that class in Cascade
county lying south of the Missouri
river. There are more than |, ,l5O, 600
acres. OF this tract it is said that at
least quarter of a million acres have
been taken up under the desert entry
act. All these entries are ordered
suspended pending an investi CATION.
For some time special agent of the
government, Mr.. Chadwick, has been
in Cascade county inquiring into con.
ditions which were brought to the at.
tention of the land officials. Mr..
Chadwick has reported to his super.
iors and on his recommend alton the
land has been Withdrawn. Mr.. Chad.
wick says he has found numerous in.
stances where land has been taken up
for speculative purposes; that in no
case has drop of water been turned
onto the land and that no effort has
been made to comply with the law res.
pecting entry under the desert land
act. This he says is true of both in.
dividuals and corporations.
The letter from Commissioner w.
A. Richards of the department of the
interior is in part as follows:
"On July 10, 1903. the secretary re.
ferred to this office for report two let.
ters written by Sen ator Gibson, in
which he repeated his charges relative
to fraudulent proof in said district
and again requested an investig alton
by this office. Special Agent
d. j. Chadwick was directed to pro.
ceed to Great Falls, Mont, and make
an investigation as to the conditions
there prevailing.
~ am now in receipt of his letter,
dated Sept. 9, in which he says in
part that, acting upon information
obtained from printed statements, in
terviews with farmers and settlers,
and from personal examin alton, he
recommends that the described lands
be Withdrawn from entry under the
desert land law.
"He also says that the desert bed
lands are tablelands or high, rolling
hills, all having excellent natural
growth of blue joint and buff alo grass,
atfording excellent grazing, and tn at
it is impracticable to artifcially irri.
gate th"m: that no irrigation schemes,
either ate or cooperative, are in
practice in that region; that he has
found the most wonderful crops of
hay, wheat, oats, potatoes and grain
have grown without artificial irriga-
tion; that when the lands were en-.
closed he found moving machines
cutting the native grass for hay.
"Relative to the matter of final des-
ert proof, he says that many tracts of
land in the vicinity have been entered
as desert, yearly and final proof m ade
therefor, and the only attempt to
comply with the law as to irrig alton
has often been to plow some zigzag
burrows, or in some depression, place |
a few stones-sometimes two or three |
wagon loads-then few loads of dirt !
aud then call the production a reser.
vOir.
''The printed statements mentioned |
are contained in The Great Northern |
Bulletin which is published at St.
Paul, Mimi, and are simply testi.
monials of settlers residing in the
vicinity of Great Falls, Mont, as to
the fertility of the soil, the agreeable
and each asserts tha no arti.
fetal irrigation is necessary.
''ln view Of the showing made by
Agent Chadwick, the land above de-
scribed is withdrawn from entry under
the desert land law, and all desert en-.
tries covering the same will stand |
suspended until investigation by a
special agent to determine their bona