The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-02-11
IN MAINE
WOODS INCREASING
The Lumber Land Owners Are
Fearful Lest Their Holdings
Be Absorbed by Them.
THEY APPEAL TO a
Not All the Law or Sheriffs in Main
Are Potent to Keep Them Off
the Rich Mans Timber
Land.

Bangor, Me-, correspondence New York
F~ribune: Away up on the northeastern
Oorder OF Maine, along the st. John and
Aroostock rivers, are hundreds of little
clearings in the forests. where squat
ters' from New Brunswick have come in,
cleared a few acres of land not belonging
TO them, built log houses, raised small
crops and large families and settled down
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
70 get rid of these unlimited colonists.
ana 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,
ana not all the law nor all the sheriff.
IN Maine are potent to keep the mild
hammered but persistent Acadians off the
domains Of the rich timber land owners.
Inc little farms increased from scores
70 hundreds, and the timber land owners
appealed to the state to do something
lest their entire holdings be one dav an
sorbed by "squatters," and so last win
Ter the legislature passed an act appro-
priatlng enough money to buy $4,000 acres
OF the lands, to be presented to the set
uers, mus making good their title to
what they had come and taken without
leave. The state also has "suuatters" to
contend with, for many of them have set
tled on the school lands, and Iatelv ~
has been decided, instead of e]vicfinr
them, to sell to them the lands they are
~ccupElns at a nomina price. For the
purpose or making these transfers stat
Laiid agent King has this week made a
GRIP TO Letter p plantation and in a
snort time the settlers there will have
tull title to their little farms.
While 1t Is not denIed that the sat+1a-
fnent Of the rich Aroostock lands NV 40
INDUSTRIOUS and well-behaved Acadians
must result in great benefit to the state
the ana owners are strongly opposed to
ehe colonization process. They honeht
.he lands and paid for them, and want Ia
keep them for numbering purposes; thew
- iooA,iis 10 their own personal inter-
ests, and not to the interests of tho state
IN future years. 1t is frequently pointaS
out mat the owners Of the lands got the
property, or much Of it, for a mere SONG
put thelr title is good, whatever thav
paid, and while the "squatters,' wbo
wan TO farm and the sportsmen and
poacneis VINO want to shoot and fish
that the rich men are monono.
Il2lng the earth up north, no ono has ~,
Iesal ground for complaint. The Will
ANUS OF the state were at first parceled
~ DIS pountles to revolutionary soldiers
put many OF the beneficiaries failed IN
pay the taxes upon the lots given tn
mem, and so. the lands came back Nv
FORFEIT TO the state. Then came the f..
nous land auctions of old DAYS, when
vast tracks were bought by wealthy mem
~ d lew cents an acre. After generations
OF numbering there is more spruce left in
man can be cut, at the present
rare, IN half a century to come, alIowing
nothing for renewal Of growth, and now
ne pulp and paper industry has coma
aouhllag the value OF the timber ana
causing the big corporations like the
treat Northern and the International Pa
lands in sight.