Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-06
The Kinkaid Bill Likely to Play
Into the Hands of the
Cattle Barons
4o-AcRE HoMEsTEADs FREE
Five Years Residence Gives Man
That Many Acres of Land in Nebras-
kat is Claimed the Cattle Bar
ons Have Planned to Get Control of
the Entire Tract.

Sioux City, June 6.-There are jus
d mile square, out in the Fifth ant
4 Sixth congressional districts of Ne
braska. which Uncle Sam is going II
give away, beginning June IS. Any
body who wants square mile of lane
will get chance. but he must agree tt
/ live on it five years. He can't com
mute, and no lodging will be permitted
He must live in good faith ON the lane
| for five years or lose all interest in it.
This is the most remarkable real es-
| tate gift enterprise Uncle Sam has We
conducted The question is nov
| whether Uncle Sam is going to be gold
| bricked.
The region in which the 64O-acrt
| farms are to be given away is exclu-
/ sively a grazing country. Because ne
regular farming can be done on the
| lands nobody wants them in 16O-acrs
| tracts. A quarter section fenced III
wouldn't maintain enough cattle &c
make it worth while to look after, but
with $40 acres, properly selected so as
| to get a fair share of bottom ground
from which hay can be cut for winter
feed while the rest can be used for
summer grazing, cattleman can hans
die good bunch Of stock and make
money.
This was the theory on which Con-
gressmen Norris and Klnkaid were able
to get the last congress to pass the
bill authorizing the 640-acre home
steads. The bill only applies to the
lands In their two districts, and its
passage was fine accomplishment OF
the log-roller's art.
AS the time approaches for the land
to OPEN the question Is being seriously
asked whether the actual settlers have
been bilked, congress taken in and
Uncle Sam victimized by the cattle
barons. who. for many years. have
used these lands without right, title or
interest.
1t is being freely charged by people
in the district concerned that the
barons propose to use the new law to
get control of the greatest estate held
by any one interest in America.
The Bartlett Richards cattle grour.
is the boyle worrying people. Richards
lives in Hooker county. Nebraska. and
is q brother of the former governor of
Wyoming. who bore the same name.
Nobody has ever been able to figure
how many thousands of Richards cat
tie Craze from year to year on these
western Nebraska plains. Richards is
several times a millionaire. and in the
cattle country is considered the richest
man in the whole Missouri valley
For many years the Richards cattle
and those of other barons grazed over
these western Nebraska lands. Then
the barons took the liberty of fencing
in great domains. and from this deyel-
oped the immense scandals of two or
three years ago. These resulted in in
dictment of the offenders. and, after a
determined battle. the removal OF most
of the fences.
Even yet, however. not all the fences
have been taken away. The cattle still
roam over the government lands, but
the monopoly of the barons is Of
course. broken.
A year ago everybody in western and
northwestern Nebraska wanted the
kinkaid bill passed providing for the
640-acre homesteads on these lands
The argument was that it would save
for the small settler a chance to get
enough land to make living.
But now the question is whether the
barons are not going to use his act as
o ma NO 70, al,e.
their great grazing domain People are
awake to the danger and say there are
increasing evidences of the scheme.
The method is simple. The big cat
tlemen have large numbers of cowboys.
herders, etc, in their employ. II is all
legged that they, are systematically
planning to have these employees and
other confederates take up the lands
under the new law as soon as it goes
into effect. The barons will furnish
the cattle to Craze the lands during
the interval: the men who take them
up viii have this steady employment,
and thus will be able to comply with
the requirement to live on the lands:
and when the t1veyear period is ended
the barons will be able to buy the
tracts for very small consideration,
because the owners will have no use
for them. Having no stock iof their
own. and being compelled to fence in
their individual tracts at large cost
the cowboys would be unable to do
anything but sell to their employers
and continue in the service as herders
This is the plan which is said to be
developing. The barons will have the
cooperation of many people who are
willing to take the land, hold it, secure
a title and then turn it over, if they
can be assured of employment during
the period preliminary to getting title.
1t is considered doubtful whether
there is any legal remedy.
FATHER AS kIDNAPPER.