Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-12-05

NAL law no less than OF the civil now
amount to very great evil * 81 d
2 Breaches Of Trust In Public Service.
There seems to be no statute of the
United States which provides for the
punishment Of a United States attor.
ney or other officer Of the government
who corruptly agrees to wrongfully do
or wrongfully refrain from doing any
act when the consideration for such
corrupt agreement is other than one
possessing money value. This ought to
be remedied by appropriate legislation.
Legislation should also be enacted to
cover explicitly, unequivocally and be.
yond question breach of trust in the
shape Of prematurely divulging official
secrets by an officer or employee Of the
United States and to provide q suitable
penalty therefor. Such officer or en-
ployee owes the duty to the United
States to guard carefully and not to
divulge or in any manner use pre-
maturely information which Is accessi.
BILE to the officer or employee by reason
Of his official position. Most breaches
Of public trust are already covered by
the law, and this one should be. 1t is
impossible, no matter how much care
is used, to prevent the occasional ap-
pointment to the public service Of q
man who when tempted proves unfaith-
full, but every means should be provid-
ed to detect and every effort made to
punish the wrongdoer. So far as in
my power lies each and every such
wrongdoer shall be relentlessly hunted
down. In no instance in the past has
he, been spared; in no instance in the
future shall he be spared. His crime
is a crime against every honest man in
the nation, for 1t Is a crime against the
whole body polite. Yet in dwelling on
such misdeeds it is unjust not to add
that they are altogether exceptional
and that on the whole the employees Of
the government render upright and
faithful service to the people. There
are exceptions, notably in one or two
branches of the service, but at no time
in the nations history has the public
service of the nation taken as whole
stood on a higher plane than now, alike
as regards honesty and as regards eff
cheney. &s s:
@ Public Land Laws. 5
Once again I call your attention to
the condition Of the public land laws.
Recent developments have given new
urgency to the need for such changes
as will fit these laws to actual present
conditions. The honest disposal and
right use Of the remaining public lands
is Of fundamental Importance. The in
iquitous methods by which the monop-
olizing of the public lands is being
brought about under the present laws
are becoming more generally known,
but the existing laws do not furnish
effective remedies. The recommends
lions Of the public lands commission
upon this subject are wise and should
be given effect. NIL i ysss a.. IA
The creation of small irrigated farms
under the reclamation act is power
full Offset to the tendency of certain
other laws to foster or permit monop-
oily Of the land. Under that act the
construction Of great irrigation works
has been proceeding rapidly and sue
cessfully, the lands reclaimed are
eagerly taken up, and the prospect that
the policy Of national irrigation will
accomplish all that was expected Of it
is bright. The act should be extended
to include the state Of Texas. e 5
The reclamation act derives much OF
its value from the fact that it tends to
secure the greatest possible number Of
homes on the land and to create COM
munities Of freeholders, in part by set
Element on public land, in part BY fore
ing the subdivision Of large private
holdings before they can get water
from government irrigation works. The
law requires that no right to the use
Of water for land in private ownership
shall be sold for tract exceeding leo
acres to any one landowner. This pro-
vision has excited active and powerful
hostility, but the success Of the law tt
self depends on the wise and firm en-
forcement Of 1t. We cannot AFFORD to
substitute tenants for freeholders on
the public domain. Z.
Public Grazing Lands.
The greater part OF the remaining
public lands cannot be irrigated. They
are at present and win probably al
ways be Of greater value for grazing
than for any other purpose. This fact
has led to the grazing homestead Of
$40 acres in Nebraska and to the pro
posed extension Of it to other states.
It is argued that family cannot be
supported on 100 acres Of arid grazing
land. This Ia obviously true, but ned
Their can family be supported on GAO
acres Of much Of the land to which 1t
is proposed to apply the grazing home
stead. To establish universally any
such arbitrary limit would be unwise
at the present time. It would proba-
bly, result on the one hand In enlarging
the holdings Of some OF the great land
owners and on the other In needless
suffering and failure on the part OF d
very considerable proportion OF the
bona fide settlers who give faith to the
implied assurance Of the government
that such an area Is suflicient. The