Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-02-11
SQUA11ERs IN MAINE
WOODS INCREASING
The Lumber Land Owners Arc
Fearful Lest Their Holdings
Be Absorbed by Them.
THEY APPEAL TO STATE
Not All the Law or sheriffs in Main
Arc Potent to Keep Them Oft
the Rich Mans Timber
Land.

Bangor, Me-, correspondence New York
Tribune: Away up on the northeastern
border of Maine, along the st. John ana
Aroostock rivers, are hundreds Of little
Bearings in the forests. where "sQuat-
ters" from New Brunswick have come in.
cleared a few acres OF land not belonging
10 them, built log houses. raised small
crops and large families and settled dow
to the serene and happy existence known
pnly to the Acadians, who are the direct
descendants of the refugees from the
Land OF Evangel.ne. The men who own
the lands have tried In all sorts Of ways
to get rid of these unlimited colonists.
and on numerous occasions have invoked
the law to drive them away. Then fol-
lowed evictions by the score, with scenes
as pathetic and distress as bitter as any
ever witnessed in Ireland, but the rem
edy has always been ineffective, for more
"squatters" came in to occupy the lands.
and not all the law nor all the sheriffs
In Maine arc potent to keep the mild
hammered but persistent Acadians of the
domains of the rich timber land owners.
The little farms increased from scores
to hundreds. n the timber land owners
appealed to the state to do something
lest their entire holdings be one day alb
sorbed by "squatters." and so last win
ter the legislature passed an act appro.
NOS6 OAAO W O0y UVpOWV
OF the lands. to be presented to tho set
tiers. thus making good their title to
what they had come and taken without
leave. The state also has 'squatters' to
contend with. for many Of them have set
tied on the school lands, and lately u
has been decided. instead of evicting
them. to sell to them the lands they are
occupying at a nominal price. For the
purpose of making these transfers State
Land Agent Ring has this week made a
trip to Letter e plantation and in q
short time the settlers there will have
full title to their little farms.
While 1t is not denied that the settle
ment OF the rich Aroostock lands by the
Industrious n well-behaved Acadians
must result in great benefit to the state.
the land owners are strongly opposed to
the colonization process. They bought
the lands and paid for them, and want to
keep them for numbering purposes; they
are looking to their own personal inter-
ests, and not to the interests Of the state
m future years. 1t 10 frequently pointed
out that the owners Of the lands got the
property, or much Of 1t, for a mere song.
but their title IL good, whatever thew
paid, and while the "~squatters'' who
want to farm and the sportsmen and
poachers who want to shoot and Ash
that the rich men are monopo-
liztcg the earth up north, no one has any
lands Of the state were al frst parceied
out a. bounties to revolutionary soldiers
but many OF the behefciaries failed to
pay the taxes upon the lots given t.
them, and SO the lands came back bv
Forfeit to the state. Then came the IA.
nous land auctions Of old days. wheu
vast tracks were bought by wealthy men
At 9 few cents an acre. After generation.
Of numbering there 10 more spruce LEFT m
Maine than can be cut. at the present
rate. In half q century to come. allowing
nothing for renewal OF growth, and now
the pulp paper industry has come
doubling the value of the timber. and
causing the big corporations like the
Great Northern n the International Pa.
per company to scramble for all the de.
Firable lands in sight.