The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1904-09-10
o FINAL PROOFS.
Recent Orders Fixing Dates and Nam.
ing County Seats or U. S. land offices
Will Work Hardships in Some In
stances.

stances.
Linton Record: Acting under in
structions from the commissioner of
the general land office, the register
and receiver of the Bismarck land
Office have notified the county judges,
clerks of court and U. S. commission.
ers that no final proofs can be taken at
any other place than the Bismarck
land Office. A letter from the Bis
marck land office says: Under the
new schedule giving offers certain
dates on which to take proofs, neither
of these proofs (referring to two EN-
mons county proofs) a be taken out
side of this office before February,
1905. The reason for the schedule is
that the special agent is required to
be present at every proof taken out
side of this Office"
1t will thus be seen that the jig is
up so far as making final proofs at any
other place than the Bismarck land
office is concerned. This action of the
commissioner of the general land Office
has been brought about by the con-
duct of the numerous proof drum
mers" in the district, who, personally
and by correspondence, while holding
an office that entities them to take
final proofs, act as agents for the loan
ing Of money, and, in order to ecure
the proof fee and the commission on
loans, prevails on non-residents who
have not complied with the law as to
settlement or improvements, or both,
to come out here and make a wholly
fraudulent proof-something that they
would not often do, were they not
led astray my the misrepresentation
of the office-holding m~oney-loaner.
The new plan is something that the
la%nd-district officials are not in the
least responsible for. 1t is not likely
that they wish to add a large volume
Of p%roof-taking work to. their already
sufficient labors. But they have moth
ing to say about it, and cannot prevent
the scheme going into effect.
However, the new plan will, while
putting to serious trouble and eX-
pense the bona-fide settler who, after
five years faithful compliance with
the law, wishes to make final proof,
have little effect on the fy-by-night
proofs. There are three classes OF
final proofs made: First is the farm
err who actually resides on the land.
Next is the claimant who hasn't sufi-
cient capital to live on it while putting
his claim in condition to produce an
income. He is compelled to work for
a neighboring farmer or at a nearby
town until such time as he has his
land and improvements in such condi-I
ton as to enable him to get along on
his homestead without working for
any one else. While working for
others he has been at his claim every
few weeks. He considers it his home;1
he speaks of it as "home." He has
none other. These two classes are all
right, and were they the only classes,
there would be no excuse for the
formulation by the general land office
of the methods to which this article
refers.
The third class is the one that
innocently perhaps-has caused this
radical regulation. They come out to
see the country. Were they truly in
formed as to the duties the govern
ment requires of an %entryman, they
would not file. But too frequently
the idea is conveyed to them that
they can file and go home, then come
out once or twice, and then prove up.
And very often there is a money
loaning officer at hand-sometimes he
poses as a lawyer-who gives the mis-
leading advice, takes the proof and
furnishes the Communication money.
But will the taking of this class Of
proofs at Bismarck change the aspect
of affairs? The man who will coach
a claimant in unlawfully proving up at
a county seat will do the same at Bis
marck.
The first two classes above referred
to have no sympathy with the third
class. The people who live here want
to see the few homesteads that are
yet obtainable become the property
of actual settlers and not of specu-
lators. But they will not take kindly
to a scheme that puts the honest and
the dishonest in the same boat, fore
ing the fve-year claimant as we'll as
the 'commuter to take the expensive
trip to Bismarck. The scheme smacks
strongly of the methods of Commits
sioner Sparks during President Cleve'
lands first administration. 1t will
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