The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-03
OPPOSES REPEAL
| OF THE LAND LAWS
Warren, of Wyoming, Talks to
the Senate and Gibson of
Montana "Chlps In"

WASHINGTON D. c., Anril q
Mr.. Warren. of Wyoming, occupied the
greater part Of the senate's time to-
day with a speech attacking the Glib
son bill to repeal most of the exist
ing land laws. He commended that the
land laws were beneficent and In the
main honestly administered and urged
that there was no demand for repeal.
He said that the demand for change
already had been met by the senate in
its action upon the timber and stone
act. Mr.. Warren expressed the opin-
ion that we are in no danger from the
absorption of the public domain.
What is the public domain for" he
asked, "if not to be absorbed?"
He said that more than one-third
of the total area Of the United States
including Alaska, is still public, and
concluded that the government should
offer liberal encouragement to settle
ment.
With vast area of billion or more
acres awaiting settlement, there was
no need to have hysteria. Being asked
how much of this area was inhabitable
with or without irrigation Mr.. Warren
quoted from the speech of Mr.. Gibson
600 acres Of the arid regions fit for ir-
rigation.
Mr.. Warren said that in TWENTY-FIVE
years about five million acres had been
disposed Of by demonstrating, and at
this rate it would take 500 years to
dispose of what was left.
Mr.. Patterson asked how the cattle
men of Wyoming obtained their titles
to fifty and sixty thousand acres Of
land. Mr.. Warren said the greater
part Of it was bought from railroad
companies to whom the land was given
by the United States government. He
declared that the cattlemen would be
better off to have the land laws re-
pealed so that they could roam over
the entire lands Of the state
Speaks for Montana CattIemen.
Mr.. Gibson said he knew cattlemen
and that in his state there was not one
who wanted the land laws repealed,
and that therefore his bitterest enc
mics were the land laws He denies
the correctness of Mr.. Warren's state
ment so far as Montana was concerned.
Mr.. Warren declared that the move
ment for repeal was due to the large
land holders of the West, who hoped
thereby to enhance the value of their
own holdings. He admitted that there
had been abuses under the timber and
stone act, but said the senate already
had taken steps to correct that evil.
He quoted a letter from the secretary
Of the interior, showing that only one
entry of every 500 under the desert
land law and only one out of every
1000 homestead entries were Cancelled.
Mr.. Gibson remarked that the reason
for the small number of cancellations
was that the government does not
make the Investigations it should do.
Mr.. Warren said he was not willing
to say that all the special agents of
the land office were Venal.
Mr.. Gibson said he knew thousands
upon thousands of cases of fraud in
Montana
Then" replied Mr.. Warren, 'the /.
per cent of frauds under that law
must have occurred in Montana"
Mr.. Warren said that there was more
fraud committed under the homestead
act than under any other land law ex-
cept the timber and stone act, because
the land could be secured under that
law without paying any money. He did
not know of single instance in which
an irrigation company was making a
cent, but knew of many that had failed
He cOntrOverted the statement of Mr..
Gibson that the greater portion of the
last west Of the Mississippi is owned
by landlords and not by settlers, claim
Ing that the contrary Is true. He also
said that Mr.. Gibson In effect had
charged congress with enacting mere
tricious legislation.
Il don't believe" responded Mr. Glib
son, that congress knowingly enacted
bad laws. But / do believe that it
has been misled. and If congress now
understood the subject no time would
be lost in repeating the land laws"
Then said Mr.. Warren, "the SEN
ator means to charge that congress has
not been venal, but merely foolish"