Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-10-07
MOVE TO HAVE
LAWS AMENDED
Believed fiomesteads in West
ern South Dakota Should
Consist OF GAO Acres.
S LARGELY IN FAVOR
The Amendment Will Apply to Home
stead Laws in South Dakota as
Did the kinkaid Law in
Nebraska.

Sioux Falls. S. D., Sept. S0.-Much
discussion has been caused by the an
nouncement that influential residents
OF South Dakota were behind a move
ment 10 have congress at its next ses-
sion amend the homestead laws as -
piled to the vast region lying between
the Missouri river and the Black Hills,
In western South Dakota.
The proposition is being commented
upon quite freely by the newspapers of
the state. 1t is perhaps needless to
say that with hardly an exception they
declare themselves in favor OF a meas
ure which Is designed TO benefit those
who honestly seek homes in the west.
What is known as the Kinkaid bill,
which enlarged homesteads from $50
TO $40 acres, applies solely to the va
cant government land in the western
part OF Nebraska. The influential men
In his state who are alluded to will
strive to have terms similar to those of
the Kinkaid bin applied and extended
TO the coded Sioux lands In western
South Dakota. The lands mentioned
are a part OF the 1900, 900 acres of
the great Sioux reservation which vas
opened to white settlement On February
10, 1890.
1ulliGIcHl GNlQGICH Indk u kTGdl
part OF the lands will never become the
permanent abiding place of those seek
ing homes so long as the settler must
be restricted TO 160 acres is provided by
the history of the last fifteen years,
following the opening of the land to
settlement. The nature of the soil in
a considerable extent of the immense
tract is such n a unless the area of
homesteads IS increased to $40 acres
S1nCk raising fnfIOf hn fha Hrhiaf nnnnnG
of ~sustenance in the greater portion of
that territory
Cannot Always Purchase.
More often the homestead settler
west Of the Missouri river finds it quite
impossible TO purchase or lease adj
joining quarter sections OF land. They
may yet be open to settlement or held
by a nonresident, and not unlikely the
property OF some cattleman or cattle
company. The settler may find his
holding so environed with untoward
conditions that ne has the alternative
OF losing his little all or getting out
OF the country. Then his land is
bounced upon by the cattlemen.
If the settler could have Gao acres to
begin with 1t would give him sufficient
permanent range to make him inde-
pendent Of his surroundings, and his
little bunch OF cattle, in addition to
such crops as he could raise, would
give him a livelihood until he had
brought the cultivated portion of his
ranch under such subjugation Of the
soil as to warrant the raising OF forage
crops at least.
The one or two South Dakota news
papers which oppose the plan TO have
the homesteads in that region increased
from 100 to GAO acres do so upon the
supposition that such action would be
purely in the interest of cattlemen and
cattle companies and permit them to
secure possession of vast tracts Of land,
to the detriment Of the homesteader.
Such. however. is not the case. It is
just as easy under the present home
stead laws for the cattlemen n cattle
companies, IL they wished. to secure
control OF vast tracts by inducing
homesteaders, after they had made
final proof, to transfer their and hold
ings to them.
Would Benefit Homcsteaders.
Those behind the movement for en-
larged homesteads in western South
Dakota are acting solely for the benefit
OF honest homesteaders-men who de-
sire to secure tracts of government
land upon which themselves and fam
lilies can reside permanently.
The amendment increasing the size
OF homesteads will contain provisions
WHICH Will act dS a TcSlElctlOH anu pre-
vent the land, so far as it is possible
fer an act OF congress to do so, from
falling into the hands of the cattlemen
and cattle companies.
The amendment, It is understood, as
1t will be introduced In congress-, will
-Ss contain "a COMMUNICATION clause, and
therefore homesteaders will be required
to live on the land the full Ave years
before they can ecure a title from the
government.
One OF the most interesting articles
bearing on this important subject is
from the pen of Joseph f. Wing, a staff
correspondent of the Chicago Breeders
Gazette. MIR. Wing has travelled all
Over the stock world In the interest of
his publication, and Is one of the best
and most widely read writer's
of his kind in the world.
What he says Will therefore have
great weight. The article referred to
was written from Gillette. Wyo,. after
a. trip through western Nebraska and
the western part of South Dakota. The
article Is In part as follows:
The Problem Of the Land.
Coming back to Gillette my friend
and I talked about the problem of the
land laws and of the small ranchers.
the poor men. the settlers. Understand
irrigation Is out of the question here.
Dry farming Is u or the question
here. Yet there is a world OF grass.
This grass IS eternal. Come back to
Gillette in a thousand years and you
will find the same yellow plains. the
same dreamy hills. the same indus
tries with certain improvements. Here
is the gist OF our decisions. for we
agreed perfectly In our views.
THE present land laws do not we'll
apply to this arid grazing land. A
homestead of leo acres Is OF so little
use to a man that no thinks OF
using his right unless close to town
somewhere. No settler could live from
100 acres TIe should rave a right to
homestead $40 acres. That, however,
is hardly half enough. Give a home
steader right to take 1880 acres of this
grazing land and ii would all be taken
lin a short time.
There are enough men here who
know the west and the way TO live on
ii to about AXE the land. The cow
punchers would all take homesteads,
get married. settle down instead OF
living the harum-scarum. ~dissipated
lives that many OF them live now. AT
present they see no future only to be
d hnnd OF a big ranch or get out Of the
country to an irrigated section.
TWO Sections TO 4 Family.