The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-02-04
LAND LAW REPEAL.
Something Must Be Done To Stop Land
Grabbing

something Must Be Done To Stop Land
\ Grabbing.
WASHINGTON, February 1904. The
statement is heard around the Capitol
and the hotel Hobbies ofW Washington that
there is no possible chance of land law
repeal at this session of Congress. The
opponents of legislation which will re-
peal certain of the land laws and check
land stealing, admit that some amend
ments or notifications of the existing
laws may be made, but that the repeal
absolutely of any of these laws, and
particularly the Desert Land law, is
thing impossible and out of the ques-
! ton.
This calls to mind very forcibly SINH
lar statements and prophecies heard at
just about corresponding date of the
year that the National Irrigation Bill
became law, much to the surprise of
even some of its friends.
1t is probable that these opponents
of land repeal are speaking advisedly.
Whatever they may themselves think
on the subject, they are anxious to Sc
cure general impression, if possible,
that these laws cannot be repealed. 1t
is recognized, however, by the best in
formed statesmen on the subject, that
the question has now come to the
point where it must be met squarely
The public land is disappearing in
! to speculative and corporate holdings
at such an enormously rapid rate that it
will do to temporize the question no
longer. Unless effective legislation is
secured, and comparatively at once,
there will be little left worth legisla-
ting about.
eve have reached the point on this
land question" said prominent
| Western Senator, ''where we have got
to substitute acts for words. We have
got to do something at this session of
! Congress. The opposition to this repeal
| of the land laWs,-the Desert Act, the
commuters clause and the Timber
Act-are craftily sparring for time, as
though the question were brand new
one, and one which we did not under
stand in the West. 1t is far too we'll
understood, so we'll understood that
some men find no difficulty in getting
about all they want of our best irrig-
alton and timber lands, in utter disre-
gard of the spirit of our land enactments
which have been popularity believed to
foster BODYBUILDING and settlement"
Another Washington legislator, who
has been following the land question
for some years, smiled significantly
when asked for his opinion regarding
some of the various amendments to the
land laws which have been introduced
by Western men.
"These amendments and modif-
cations" he said, always, of course, in
the interests of the people, are quite
amusing, especially in their apparently
drastic effects. About all such pro-
posed legislation that have seen thus
far would be like breaking out the
fangs of a poisonous serpent. There are
always dormant fangs lying back of
them and these soon grow out again
and are ready for business.
'These energetic statesmen in their
activity to amend and modify our land
laws remind me of the situation a
dozen years ago when there was a
great overhauling of the land laws,
accompanied with the blare of trumpets
and much buncome talk as to how the
rights of the government and of the
homeseeker were being guarded; never
theless, it seems that these fellows left |
the laws in a condition very well suited
fo1 their wholesale grab operations now
III progress. The amendments and |
notifications now proposed are largely |
along the same lines. Sifted down to
the bottom they would simply make
nd-grabbing a little more laborious,
and slightly more expensive, probably;
but the land is much more valuable |
than it ever was before and the grabber
would still be well on top" NJ.