Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-13

agent sent TO investigate the character OF
their mining operations. AS soon rs their
claims are passed they denude them OF the
timber, worth from SO to 800 an acre and
then move on to begin operations else
where under new names and under the
supervision Of other land agents
The great difficulty which the General
Land once encounters In preventing these
frauds Is the looseness Of the law and the
fact that the government has never classi-
fed its lands as do the railroads and all
other institutions which do business on
business principles.
A special effort is also being made to
compel settlers TO appear on certain speci-
fed days before special land agents to
make their final proofs. If this can be
done the land ONCE can. in advance, send
it's agents quietly to investigate the char
acter Of cultivation" performed by those
persons who seek to perfect their titles.
and where everything does not look right,
TO cross-examine the entrymen when they
make their afidavits. Under existing CON
ditions the court officers who receive the
final proofs are all too often virtually the
attorneys of the entrymen or OF the fraudu-
| lent companies who are seeking ultimate
| possession of the land
Hard on Real Settlers.
The injustice resulting from the acquisi-
ton OF large tracts Of land by cattle and
! lumber companies is grave. One or two
! thousand acres or more fenced and de-
voted to grazing or numbering operations
| renders the region almost untenable to
| the genuine settler He is deprived OF
neighbors, roads, school-in a word. OF all
those advantages which a community would
afford him. and all too often he sickens
Of his isolated position and finally sells his
| homestead to the company which has al
ready acquired a monopoly of his surround
ings. And all this is in addition to the
Illustration Of the purpose of the govern
/ ment in granting land to settlers on such
easy terms, the settlement of the area by
small home owners. The great landed COM
panies which already monopolize 80 great
a portion of what were originally public
lands. not only constitute an impossible
barrier to the advance of civilization and
the development of the country, but they
have in many instances become a menace
| to law and order, ruling the country about
them with an iron hand. prostituting it's
courts and destroying its liberties in a
most high-handed manner, so that peace
able settlers gladly embrace the first OPP
portunity to escape from their baneful in
fluences.
Once in a while the land office makes
mistakes in its first impressions OF the
validity OF claims This was the case with
| certain claims recently forwarded for final
approval by members OF the Heros family
in the southwest. The father, since de-
ceased, had perfected a homestead entry
and the land Office was called upon to APP
prove the claims of two Of his minor chill
dren. The case was Immediately assumed
| g.
public prints, but further investigation
proved that assumption to be unwarranted.
1t was found that under the law even a
minor could become the legal head Of a
family by adopting a child. In this in
stance there was a large family and the
parents were extremely poor. The Oldest
son had adopted younger brother and
as the head OF a family, had taken up O
claim on his own account, while the old
est daughter had adopted a younger sister
and had taken up another Final decision
in this instance has not been reached, but
everything points to the validity Of the
claims and their ratification by the land
Office.
The publication Of such facts as are
herein set forth have caused radical de-
mands for revision of the land laws, but
comparatively few of these demands have
peen tempered with WlSoon OF Justice. FOL
instance, it has been demanded that the
Communication clause of the homestead act
be entirely repealed, whereas this would
work grave injustice to many people
Fourteen months is, however. too short q
period, and this should be extended t
twenty or twenty-five, so that the genu
| ineness of the efforts at cultivation" may
be accurately gagged. The most impoT tam
| reform needed is a classification Of the
lands and authority conferred on the gov
eminent to reject any entry except suct
as was suitable TO the land In question
Thus desert land claims could not be en-
tered on timber landU, homestead entries
, could not be entered on lands best suited
to timber claims, etc.-New York Tribune