Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-26
FALLAC|0US
ASSUMPTION
Good Prospect that the Land
Laws Will Be Repealed or
Modified BY Congress
TERMU MET
Opinion Of Western Congress-
men That The Time Has Come
When Something Must
BE Done.

WASHINGTON, D. e., Jan. Pc
The statement is heard around the
capitol and the hotel Hobbies of Wash.
ington that there is no possible chance
Of land law repeal this session Of con
gress. The opponents of legislation
which will repeal certain of the land
laws and check land stealing, admit
that some amendments or modiica-
tons Of the existing laws may be
made, but that the repeal absolutely
Of any of these laws and particularly
the desert land law is a thing i'm.
possible and out OF the question.
This calls to mind very forcibly
similar statements and prophesies
heard at just about a corresponding
date Of the year that the national ir-
rigation bill became a law, much to the
surprise of even some of its friends.
It is probable that these opponents
OF land are speaking advisedly. What
ever they may themselves think on the
subject, they are anxious to secure a
general impression, il possible, that
these laws cannot be repealed. 1t Is
recognized, however, by the best in
formed statesmen on the subject that
the question has 10 come TO the
point where 1t must be met squarely.
The public land is disappearing into
speculative and corporate holdings at
such an enormously rapid rate that il
will do to temporize the question no
longer. Unless effective Legislation IS
secured, and comparatively at once,
there will be little left worth legislat-
ing about.
We have reached the point on this
land question" said a prominent west
ern 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 re.
peal of the land laws-the desert act.
the commuters clause and the timber
act-are craftily sparring for time,
as though the question were a bran
new one, and one which we did not
understand in the west. 1t is far too
well understood, SO well understood
that men ind do difficulty in getting
about all they want of our best irriga.
ton and timber lands, in utter disre.
gard Of the spirit Of our land enact
ments which have been popularity be
Iieved to foster BODYBUILDING and set
Element"
Another Washington legislator who
has been following the land question
for some years smiled Significantly
when asked for his opinion regard,
ing some OF the various amendments
to the land laws which have been In
troduced by western e
these amendments and modifca'
TONS he said, always, of course,
in the interests of the people, are
quite amusing, especially IN their ap
parently drastic effects. About all
such proposed 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 theii
activity to amend and modify our land
laws remind me OF the situation Q
dozen years ago when there was
great oyerhanling Of the land laws ac
companied with the blare Of trumpets
and much buncome talk as 10 how tbs
rights Of the government and Of ths
homeseeker were being guarded
nevertheless, ii seems that these fel
lows left the laws In a condition very
well suited for their wholesale grail
operations now III progress. Tht
amendments and notifications .nov
proposed are largely along the sams
lines. Sifted down to the bottom the,
would simply make land grabbing 1
little more laborious. and slightly more
expensive probably, but the land Il
much more valuable than II ever was
before and the grabber would still b
welt on top