Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-11
Modifying
Measures
OBJECTION TO HANSBoRouGH
BILL LIMITING AREA OF
DESERT CLAIM.

ASAN ~. U.s. Jdi.@ lI.-AG
tempts are being made in congress
70 divert attention from the necessity
for the appeal Of the Desert Land law
and other laws through the introduc.
ton Of numerous bills amending and
modifying these acts, instead of strik-
ing them from the statute books as
was recommended by the Senate Pub
lie Lands committee OF last congress.
One OF these measures which has been
heralded as d cure for all the fraud
and land absorption under the Desert
Land act is a bin recently introduced
by Senator H~ansborough of North Da-
kota amending the act.
This marlborough bill limits a des.
ert land entry to 100 acres. instead of
800 acres, as at present. 1t also APP
peals the assignment clause / o the des-
ert act, which clause was added to
the act in the early nineties. While
appearing to be important concessions
20 the advocates oi Lac land appeal,
these proposed changes in reality
amount TO practically nothing, and
Mnen sttldied iii their pruDaDle .enecl
show the real attitude oil the interests
wilicii are Denling every effort to pre-
vent or modify legislative action THAT
would cut OH opportunities Tor the acs.
quirement of government land i'll large
tracts and without settlement or resi-
dence.
Proposed Changes re-. worrying
Stockmen.
The cutting down OF the acreage
from 800 TO 100 acres simply means
that s%tockmen ana Spectators desir
ing to secure land under this act would
have TO employ double the number Of
entrymen OF dummies. There has new
er been any difficulty experienced in
securing unlimited numbers Of dunn
mics to file on timber claims or home
stead claims under the communication
clause. each OF which is limited to 100
acres, and enormous unbroken tracts,
in many cases as great as under the
desert land act with it's 800 acre limit,
have under these laws passed into
speculative or corporate ownership
with no sign OF permanent residence.
1t must be presumed that this pro-
posed reduced desert land acreage
would operate likewise.
The repeal or the assignment
clause can also be regarded with ON
placency by the land grabbers. The
enactment of this clause, as stated.
was comparatively recent, and the des-
ert land law had before this flourished
for years like a green bay tree, build
ing up dozens and scores OF great
feudal estates in the west, without
settlement and without homes. just
as it will continue 10 do even with
its assignment clause removed and its
acreage REDUCED by one half.
Incurable Defect in Desert Law.
The vital defect OF the desert land
act and one which cannot be rem.
edied except by repeal. lies in The fact
that no residence and no homemaking
Is required On the land. The land
can be given a little water and made
to produce a crop Of wild grass grow.
ing thereon, without ploughing Dr cul-
tiyation or other Improvements, and
this Is held to be compliance with the
law emitting the entrymen to patent
for his land. No residence Is reqnlr-
ed, and no homes are built, and no peo
pie live on the land.
The friends Of the national irriga-
ton, and western homemaking and
community building will oppose any
attempt to weakly modify the desert
or other existing land laws which al
low corporations and sgndicates to
monopolize public land which might
otherwise be irrigated and settled In
small farms. II Senator marlborough
win introduce an amendment to the
Desert Land law, cutting II down to
100 acres and providing for an actual
five years residence before title pass
es from the government TO the set.
tier, then the National Irrigation asso.
citation and other friends of the nat.
ionl irrigation movement will accord
1t their hearty support. Such an
amendment would spell repeat.
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