Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-11-10
HOMESTEAD CLAIMS VOID.
SiletZ Timber Land to Receive
Attention.

The following dispatch from
Washington, under date of Nov
ember 7, to the Oregonian, is of
interest to our people:
Before the timber land on the
Siletz Indian reservation in Ore
gon can be disposed of. Congress
will have to make some modih-
cations in the law opening that
reservation to settlement. AS the
law now stands, it is ineffective,
tor it stipulates that the Siletz
land may only be acquired by
homestead entry. The gres bulk
of the reservation is mountainous
timber land, which can only be
cleared and cultivated at heavy
expense. Except for a compara-
lively small burned area along
the coast, there is little land
ION the reservation suitable for
agricultural, and this has all
been entered and entries are be-
ing proved right along. Nobody,
in the opinion of the Land Office,
has any purpose in acquiring the
remaining unentered land except
for timber, and in most instances,
in fact in all instances, it is be-
lieved no entries will be made
except for speculative purposes.
Many homesteads have been
initiated on Siletz timber land,
many huts and cabins have been
erected to give color to final
proof, but it is declared by special
agents who have seen the land
that it is utterly unfit for cult
vating and it will therefore be
impossible for anyone to make
bona fde homestead entry on it.
Entries covering timber lands,
which have not and will not be
approved, were made by persons
who sought to get title to the
land and then sell to some large
lumber company or other pur-
chaser, so it is said. Except the
entries which figured in the re-
cent Jones-Potter trial, the Land
Office is satisfied that these pros
pective homestead entrymen
made their filings in good faith
believing they had a perfect right
to sell after acquiring title from
the Government. 1t is not be-
.lieved the great mass of these
entries were made with any in
tention of violating the law.
Nevertheless, no homestead on
timber land on the Siletz reser-
vation will be passed to patent
for the reason that entrymen
cannot reside upon and cultivate
this land, as required by the
homestead law.
| Just how to throw this unen-
tered land upon the MARKETS a
problem that is being investi
gared. No recommendations
yet have been made by the spec.
ial agents who have gone over
1.-THE reservation, but it is no
improbable that the entry depart.
ment may eventually recommend
that this land be made subject te
entry the same as other unreserv'
ed public timber lands, that i:
to say under the timber land an6
stone act. But in view of the
rigid inspection Of timber entrie:
these days, particularly in Ore
gon, aud in view of the fact tina
the timber on the Si1etz reserva
ton is remote from transportation
some Land Office officials doub
the wisdom of this policy. 1t is
believed, because of the remote
ness from transportation, tina
entrymen could only profit by
selling out to lumber companie
which have sufficient capital t
develop the timber. 1t may b.
some other recommendation will
be made as to this land, but NJ
! immediate action is expected.
The original law is declares
to be defective and there is sus
picion in the minds of Depart
ment officials that 1t was so word
!, ed as to permit persons to acquir
! Siletz timber without paying th
: price required by the timber an'
stone act. This, however, j
mere surmise!