Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1905-03-04
DRIVES CENTER"

adversely reported by the house COM
mittee on public lands, the Boise States
man says: ''That committee owes an
explanation to the people of the country.
No man having due regard for the pub
lie interests and for common honesty
should oppose such measure. Every
reader who has followed the develop
ments of the land fraud cases in Oregon
realizes the law is monstrpus thing;
and it may he added that the disclosures
in Montana and perhaps in some other
sections will be as astounding as those
we have witnessed in the Webfoot
state. But, notwithstanding the proof
that was5open for the committee to see,
it deliber ately voted to kill this import
and measure. The difficulty was that
the public conscience was asleep at that
time and the conscience of the commit
tee went into the same kind of slumber.
1t was thought smart in many portions
Of the country to encourage the whole
sale theft of timber by means of fraud,
perjury and every manner of shady
practice. Because of the Decentralization
brought about by the widely extended
operations under this nefarious law,
vast number of people had plunged into
the Iooting of public timber lands, and
on every hand members of congress
were importuned to prevent repeal of
of the law that was found so convenient
for the purpose of those willing to stoop
to questionable operations. Members
yielded and their were enough pliable
members of the committee to throttle
the measure.
Commenting on the above warped
view of an important subject, the Lew
iston Tribune, with its usual forcible
manner when discussing such questions,
"drives center" the first shot, in the
following lucid manner:
Considering the pains that the
Statesman usually takes to get right on
public questions, and particularly on
questions affecting western interests, it
is quite inconceivable how it should 90
so unconscionably wrong on a subject of
this magnitude. Conceding that the
Mitchells, Hermanns, Clarks and their
sort have as alleged, defrauded the
people of vast millions under the law,
fair-minded men must still admit that
it was not the fault of the law but of
its mal-administration that made those
frauds possible If such argument is
good the national banking system should
be revoked, because of Mrs. Chadwick S
swindles, and even the ten command
ments would be discredited if only their
violations were to be reckohed with.
We should much rather see the States
man concern itself with denouncing the
sort of officialism that permits such
depredations rather than merely de-
nouncing the law under which the vio-
lations have occurred.
"Stated as concisely as possible, if
this law should be repealed the only ac-
cess to timber entries then would be
through script or lieu land filings. I'm
der the lieu land laws now existing it is
notorious that the grantees can select,
instead Of the desert or mineral land
lying along their surveyed routes, any
other land within the public domain.
In the mountainous sections, for exam
pie, traversed by the Northern Pacific
railway, commissions have decided these
bonus lands to be mineral" because
they are worthless, and so the railway
company can select an equal area in any
other section, under the law now pre-
vailing. Why does not the Statesman
express it's abhorrente Of such a law
and demand its repeal? Why should it
or any other thoughtful advocate de-
mand only the repeal of law which,
while abused, has also conferred vast
and far reaching benefits on poor peoples
The present timber law permits anyone
to acquire 100 acres either by purchase,
after having fulfilled certain stringent
requirements, or by occupation. Under
any circumstances the terms imposed
are so onerous, as to personal hardships
to be undergone, that very few men in
easy circumstances care to live up to
them. Under an honest administration
only poor man can benefit frjm the
law. Yet because of a dishonest adj
ministration it is proposed that the poor
man shall lose even this meager chance,
and these lands be reserved exclusively
for scrip entries or for sale in blocks
under such considerations as only syndi-
Gates can bid upon them. If there is