The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-12-05

shaii guard with reasonable certain.
| against such misconduct. brt t.
possible to secure by law the finn
verified publication in detail If ~ a
sums contributed to and exnara
tie candidates or committees Of a.
political parties the result can ~.
| be wholesome. All contributia
corporations to any political conn.,.
tee or for any political purpose s,.'
be forbidden by law; directors
not be permitted to use Stockholm.
money for such purposes: and
over, prohibition of this kind -,
De, as far as 1t went, an effoo.,..
method of stopping the evils ainos
in corrupt practices acts. Not 49,,
should both the national and tho O.,
eral state legislatures forbid ANY, on
Ger of a corporation from usin, ,
money of the corporation in or a,o..
any election. but they should also 70.
| SN VI Ahoiey III connection
| with any legislation save bv tne a.
| ployment of counsel in public MANN.
for distinctly legal services.
Public Land Laws.
once again 1 call your attention :,
| the condition Of the public land Iavs
Recent developments have given rou,
urgency to the need for such cbsnvos
as will fit these laws to actual pras0O.
conditions. The honest dispose, ana
right use Of the remaining public
lands is of fundamental importance
The Ubiquitous methods by which tbo
monOpolizing Of the public land is bs-
| ing brought about under the present
laws are becoming more generarv
known, but the existing laws do NOT
| furnish effective remedies. The req.
omendations of the public lands
| commission upon this subject are wise
and should be given effect
| under the reclamation act is a power
| full offset to the tendency of certain
other laws to foster or permit monop-
| oily of their land. Under that act the
| the construction of great irrigation
| works has been proceeding rapidly
and successfully the lands reclaimed
are eagerly taken up, and the pros
pect that the policy of national irriga-
ton will accomplish all that was ex-
! pected of it is bright The act should
| be extended to include the state of
Texas.
The reclamation act derives much
of it's value from the fact that it tends
to secure the greatest possible num-
| Der of homes on the land, and to Gre
ate communities Of freeholders, in part
| by settlement on public land, in part
by forcing the subdivision of large pri-
vate holdings before they can get
| water from government irrigation
works. The law requires that no
right to the use of the water for land
in private ownership shall be sold for
tract exceeding 100 acres to any one
| land owner. This provision has ex-
cited active and powerful hostility, but
| the success of the law itself depends
on the wise and firm enforcement of
| it, We can not afford to substitute
tenants for freeholders on the public
domain.
/ The greater part of the remaining
public lands can not be irrigated. They
are at present and will probably al
| ways be of greater value for grazing
than for any other purposes. 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 a family can not be
| supported on 100 acres of arid graz
| ing land. This is obviously true; but
| neither can a family be supported on
| $40 acres of much of the land to which
it is proposed to apply the grazing
| homestead. To establish universally
! any such arbitrary limit would be un-
wise at the present time. 1t woud
probably result on the one hand in en-
| larging the holdings of some OF the
great land owners, and on the othei
in needless suffering and failure on the
part of a very considerable proportion
of the bona fide settlers who give
faith to the implied assurance OF tne
government that such an area is SUM-
Gent The best use of the puoii'
grazing lands requires the careful eA'
animation and classification OF thes0
lands in order to give each settler iahu
enough to support his family ana Ho
more. While this work is being doHe'
and until the lands are settled tn'
government should take control OF 'n'
open range, under reasonable resui"
tons suited to local needs, folo"ih7
the general policy already in succe''