Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1904-04-08


this chamber who are interested in
these laws, with a view to-
having them repealed, Nj
i find further that some of the
great lumber manufacturing establish
ments Of the country corporations,
syndicates and individual who own
large tracts Of land, however they
may have been acquired, have been in
favor Of the repeal Of the timber and
stone act and did not want anything
put in its place. What they wanted
to do was to stop these little private
sawmill enterprises. and they are
very numerous in three OF four of the
western timber states, with a view,
of course. of putting up the price Of
lumber and timber in their hands.
$50, Mr. President, when senators
come here and talk about syndicates,
and cattle thieves, and land barons,
ana corporations, and wnen the people
responsible for this ag1tstion outside
Of this body talk about senators and
members being the agents of these in
stitutions-these land barons and
cattle thieves, etc. II think it is no
more than fair that attention should
be called to other syndicates in other
directions which are interested in the
repeal of these laws. I make no re-
Fiction upon any member Of this body
nor upon any member of the house
CT representatives.
Mr.. President if the syndicates
referred to by my friend the snator
from Montana existed at all, I think
I would know something about them
SO far as concerns the state of North
Dakota. There are no syndicates
there. There are no corporations
there acquiring land in large bodies,
as the senator suggested. If it were
true chat synuicates are acquiring
those lands under the commute ion
clause of the homestead law, ask the
senator howsittis that. the population
of the state of North Dakota has in.
creased from about 40, 900 in 1883 to-
over half a million people at the pres.
ent timer
~ will tell you, Mr. President,
how the population of North DAKOTA
in.1esses and how it has increased.
Every man who goes there, or
nearly so, does so with the view of
making home on the public domain,
and he remains there. He m axes that
his home. That is why the popula-
ton of North Dakota has Increased
from 20, 900 to 500. 600 in little more
than twenty years, and hat answers
it seems to me, the contention of the
senator from Montana as respects any
of the states that have increased rapid
ly in population and which are in
what Is known as the humid belt OF
the country.
"Mr. President, I have not any
doubt that out in the state of Montana
or some of the arid lands there-and
most of the state is arid-the cattle
rangers have taken advantage OF
these laws to secure additional quartz,
sections in order to round out their
grazing lands or to aauire piece Of
land on a stream in order to secure
water for their stock. have moi
any doubt that something of that
kind has occurred there. But if the
land so acquired was worth anything,
there is not any doubt that there
would be somebody to contest the
right of any man who took the land
in that way and mad failed to comply
with the law.
81 can understand that as to the
arid lands in Montana. and in othe,
states, lands, that lie up far ABOVE the
water line, where they never can put
water upon them and convert them IL
agricultural uses, where there is NJ
population, there is no one to contest
the entry of man who goes upon tine
public domain or OF man who takes
100 acres of land in that locality
And I say further to the senator, it is
just as easy for the stockmen unde,
these circumsta noes to violate the
original Eve year homestead law, al
it is for MIN to- violate the commute.
ton law. Indeed, it is little easier
for him to do it, and it costs him
far less. And can very we'll under.
stand how big ranger, in order te
get few quarter sections of land,
could locate his COW boys upon differ.
emit quarters and let them MAKE a fl
ing and make their homes or assume
to make their hon es there-and who
would know whether they complied
with the law OF not : They are about
the only people in that community.
The LAND is worthless. There is no
body to contest it or to see that they
comply with the law. A special agent
never goes there to inquire into the