The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1904-04-23
OUR AND LAWS.

II S URsLAND LAWS. :9:..
!, A recent article in the St Panl Globe
favoring repeal of the stone and timber
!aot calls forthan interesting article On
the land squet ton by the uluth Tr1bu-
nal. The Globe and others OF its kind
are given some hard raps, the stuff they
dish up in support of such repeal being
branded as "silly, absurd and idiotic rot,''
written, of course, ITO barnboozle those
who do not know anything about the
working of the land laws" i: =
In the discussion of this important
question the Tribunal takes the ground
that: 4. Il. 4$s$& .$$:$
4 The public domain is the common +
property OF the whole AmerlcaD peo- y
: pie. A fair proportion of it belongs :
: to others as we'll as to those who
wish to engage in the tilling Of the
soil and the raising of crops. u {.
Uponthis theory it is commended that
there is neither justice, nor reason, nor
sense in the arguments advanced in favor
of repeal.
"Some sections of the public domain,
says the Tribunal, will produce wealth
in one way, if properly handled, and
some in another. The public domain
does not belong simply to those who
wish to coultivate the soil, but it equlta-
bly, belongs to all the citizens of this
country who wish to better their cordi-
tion by acquiring the title to quarter
section of 1t, under either of the laws
above referred to. The bible says we
'cannot live by bread alone;" and, to
have great and prosperous country, we
want some other things done besides
raising grain and vegetables, and other
eatables for man or beast; and the man
who during a certain period takes, say
100000 out of 100 acres of land by
means OF mine or some kind of quar-
ry that furnishes much needed building
material for the public, Is doing quite as
much to develop and enrich the country
as the farmer who during the same per-
iod, takes like amount from his land
by sale of his crops"
There is no merit in the objection that
under existing laws land-grabbers have
been able to acquire the title to large
quantities of land belonging to the gov.
eminent. For every piece "grabbed'
some citizen reaps benefit without de-
privlng Uncle Sam of any profits that
might accrue to him under the proposed
change. There is undoubtedly too much
truth in the claim that repeal is sought
by would-be wholesale land grabbers
and the two great scrip syndicates, the
Santa Fe and the Northern Pacific rail.
way companies, who are maintaining a
powerful lobby at Washington to further
their scheme. The Tribunals view OF
the matter. therefore, is reasonable:
Make government land purchase
able only by land scrip, and then a :
land syndicate can purchase whole
township and close up the entire
transaction as soon as the papers can
be made out, and the two scrip COM
panies will~only be too glad to. fur
nlsh all the scrip that may be needed
for that purpose.
Surely Uncle Sam is not going to be
led lpto trap that would so efectually
check the march of progress in the
North and Vast uhoro b,r1v M WV,
turesome pioneers are planting civiliza.
ton, building homes, developing the
country's resources to her pros.
pelity-turnlng the wilderness and the
PLAINS INTO habitable communities OF
industrious and contented people. Let
Congress consult the interests and the
wishes of these frontier communities
as it should do, and it would discover
here endorsement of the Tribunals clos.
ing advice:
Let the land laws remain as they
are. Let the poor man be still Civ
en- chance to get his fair add equi-
table share of the public domain
for farm. If he wants farm, or for
its timber if he wants timber, or for
it's stone or mineral if he thinks he
can make more out of those COM
modlties than he could by tilling
the soil-but let not the laws be SO
amended that the land syndicates
can gobble up the public domain
any more rapidly than they are now
able to do.