The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-03-11
Tho Homestead Laws

u lands from beng opened he should
lose the electoral vote OF South Da-
kota, "Homesteads are, or should be,
1or the man without a home,n the
Record says, "5ut it seems our gov
eminent has entirely ignored the
homeless mar and favors only the rich.
we would favor a free homestead bill
hrst, last and all the time.n The
Record concludes by saying: "People,
think and study over these matters
and you will see that the laws are
being made for the rich. and against
the poor, for the classes against the
Masses
The GRAPHIC can't quite agree
with its esteemed contemporary on
this homestead matter, There is a
good deal of maudlin sentiment about
our land laws from certain sources,
But we quite agree with the Record
that homesteads should be for a man
wlthout'a home. But does the man
without a home get them? Not on
your life. For the past twenty a
ninety per cent of the land in
the west nave been taken by land
grabbers. Not ten per cent of the
lands haye been taken by people who
wanted them for homes. They have
been taken up by all classes Of people
living in the west who were near by
and who could go through the motion
OF complying with the land laws with
out much trouble and then
hold the land until somebody
came along who wanted to pay tie
price, They have been gobbled by
men, women, school teachers, clerks,
doctors, lawyers, editors, and every
body who had the homestead right
left to them. Then they sent "back
east" for their uncles, aunts, cousins
and brothers-in-law and had them
come out and grab a piece. This
thing has been going on until prac-
tlcally everybody living anywhere
near the government lands have used
their rights. Were it not that resi-
dents of the state had exhausted
their rights mostly the Cudahy COM
pany would never have been able to
send carloads of their employees from
South Omaha to file on lands in west.
ern Lyman county and Stanley in the
interests Of their employees. Had it
not been that every man and woman
in Chamberlain and Pierre who had
any homestead rights jumped right
on to the most desirable lands when
the opportunity came, high officials in
railroad circles living in palatial man
sions would never have the opportun-
ity to come out this way and get a
s'home' across the river.
Oh, Lord, but our heart does bleed
for those kind Of people: to think of
their paying s. an acre for lands in the
Rosebud.
What We need in this country is a
repeal Of the Communication laws.
Then you'll see the lands go to the
man who needs a home-to the man
without a home. For no man will live
on a piece Of land in the, west five
years unless he really is in needy cir
cumstances. When you give that
kind of a man the privilege of leaving
his land for six months or so for the
%ostensible purpose OF earning a liveli-
hood, you c%ountenance fraud in ten
other cases.
1t is true that the sooner the lands
a be proved up or and thrown into
tax levy the better for the state and
the better for the community. But
under the operation OF any commuta-
ton laws the intent of the homestead
laws, to give a poor mar a home, be-
ONE a farce and a fraud on the gov.
eminent.
As our laws now operate, the gov
eminent is selling its land outright to
whoever has not used his or her home.
stead right and without the slightest
reference to the needs Of the individ-
ual. 1t is a general distribution Of
the scanty remaining supply to any
body and everybody who has the price
from the president Of a railroad
company to the poor farmer boy who
hasn't Il dollar to his name. We
think President Roosevelt under
stands this about as we'll as the rest
of us here on the ground who have
seen this land grabbing going on for
twenty years Or more, and he shows
good judgment in plttiDg the price of
the Rosebud lands as high as they will
bring. Where one needy man will be
injured twenty spectators and land
grabbers will have to Iut up some.
thing like what the lands are worth.
Tnac1,e.S, Examination N0fSce