Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-27
KINKAID'S ORIGINAL PLAN
Land in Arid Nebraska Should Be ParcSllSi
in Large Tracts
SETTLERS OUGHT TO HAVE ENOUGH
Author of the sectiOn-Homestead Law
Discusses the situation as
mt Present and Suggests
Further LeEisIntton.
(From a stan correspondents }

ALLIANCE, Neb., oct. 26.--(special.)-- -
Judge Kinkaid, the congressman from the
Big Sixth and author OF the 6tO-acre home
stead bill, has more friends to the square
mile in this part of the country than most
any one. A message was dispatched to
Judge kinkaid at his home In NELL ask
ing his opinion about the articles pub
lished in The Bee Monday and Tuesday re-
garding conditions in the cattle country of
western Nebraska. The following reply was
received this evening, which shows that the
author of the big homestead bill fully un-
derstands the situation and stands ready at
all times to do what he can to further the
interests Of the farmers and cattle raisers
of Nebraska. Congressman Kinksid replied
as follows:
/ have read both OF the articles published
IN The Bee in its issues of the 23d and 2ith.
II those are the ones to which you refer.
has In its operation come up TO my eNpec-
tations In solving the public land question
9d fdra Western yi, ri IL NebTaska Ts l am pleased ma ma
ated more advautageously. promoted more
good and received much greater approval
local and widespread. than / anticipated
would be the case. did not expect and.
may add the committees did not Contem-
plate that the act would completely clear
up our Nebraska public land problem.
Attitude of Congress.
use the word problem adNiSedly, Tor
such it has been for some time, most Of
these lands having been open for settlement
for over forty years. My bill asked for two
sections but the house committee amended
It, reducing the area to one section, which,
frankly, did not surprise me. Equtably, the
lands should have been classified. giving
one section of the best for the first class
and two or three or four sections for
homestead of the second and third classes;
but II was not practicable TO secure such
provisions 1t was discussed with and by
the committees that after IL had been ascer-
tanned that not all of the lands would be
desirable or taken in one section home,
steads, that the size of the homestead
might be doubled. II not quadrupled, as to
the remaining portion, and II was also dis
cussed that as another alternative after
such experiment, an act might be passed
authorizing the sale of the remaining lands,
giving adjacent land owners a preference
right to purchase at a minimum price, and
| ii was well understood that II would GER
| further legislate for the complete clearing
up of the proposition by providing for the
sale of isolated tracts containing less than
| one section, corresponding with the old law
| as II now exists for the sale OF Isolated
tracts of less than 100 acres. But you wish
| to know what think OF the ideas advanced
| in the two publications. I conStrue the
articles as approving the 640-acre act. yet
! favoring supplemental legislation thereto
! by authorizing the sale of the remaining
| lands For my part, have expected all the
time that there would have to be supple
mental legislation, and unless a larger
! homestead be considered an adequate soll.
| tion that provisions be made for the sale of
J the untaken portion when II may seem TO
the Department of the Interior that further
I homesteadlng will be so slow on account of
the undesirability, Of remaining lands as TO
I render II advisable TO sell H. and so far J
/ agree with the writer OF the articles
Congress Must Determine.
It will be observed that Judge Kinkaid
expected further legislation would be neces-
sary in order 10 solve the public land
! problem In western Nebraska. 1t will also
be observed that Congressman Kinkaid WAS
in favor of even a larger homestead than
the $40 acre bill allowed II will be re-
membered' that his original bill provided for
a two-section homestead instead of one sec
tion, but a section looked so large TO con-
gressmen from other states, and especially
eastern states, that 1t was impossible tC
pass a bill granting a larger acreage thar
$40 acres. The matter of detail as to whal
methods are best to settle the country
must finally be left to the will of congress
and in order to get the support of con
gress Tor a measure best suited to tn,
needs of Nebraska it will be necessary fol
Nebraskans to be united upon the meas
ure they want passed by congress. It il
believed by many of the cattle raiseri
that a system of purchase in limited tracts
will better solve the problem than any
plan that will require actual residence thu
year around and IL is pointed out that Tn,
revenue received from the sale of the land
would greatly augment the irrigation funt
for reclaiming irrigable lands.