The DeLand weekly news. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1887-190?, 1906-01-26

last year the repeal % the assign.
ment clause. This provision has
heen made the Convenient vehicle for
evading the spirit OF the law and for
facilitating tie acquisition - lands IN
large holdings. The law limits the
amount which one person OF assocla
ton o. persons may bold. by assign
ment or otherwise. prior % patent 10
so acres o. such arid or desert
lands. The most common form 81 at.
tempted evasion ~ this requirement
Is for two OF three individuals 10
form themselves into a corporation.
each individual member o. the CorpO-
ration securing, by entry or assign
ment, 81 acrcs 81 such lands arI
the corporation as such so acres
These same individuals then form an
other corporation under an eutireiy
different name aud procure an as
signment % another 32o acres. and
this process 4 continued indefinitely
The General Land Once has within
the past year endeayoTed O. put q
stop 20 this Practice By hoidlng that
a corporation or association o. npf.
sons l. not qualified 20 receive a drs-
ert-laud entry BY assignment where
lts individual members either elngly
or IN the aggregate arr holding 80
acres Of such arid or desert lands
This ruling. n enforced. viii tend 20
lessen the evils resulting from large
holdings prior 90 patent. but Il Is not
deemed possible 20 secure adequate
control % this question unless the /.
Law prohibits assignments OF desert
land entries Bv repeating that pro /
vision q the law and requiring tie
claimant 60 show that he has made
the entry for his own use aud benefit /
and not for the benefit 81 any other |
rersUn % corporation and that he
has made no agreement by which the
title shah inure % any other persOa
~ corporation the evils Incident 20
Iarsc holdings 81 such lands und'r
the sanction % Law will be materially
tesspned
n f. a striking fact that these large
holdings 81 desert land are not ~
claimed and devoted 60 their best
use. Tire hundred and twenty acrcs
% irritable land e entirely too much
for economical handling rs one per
son. on the other hand. Inspection
shows that I'm the same locality and
under the same climatic conditions a."
homestead entries. where not CON-
muted. are reclaimed and utilized
The desert-land act Is q stands up
on the statute books appears O. have
many features which commend u
as before stated. the practices gov
erning Il have largely nullified It's
good features, and the resultlngl
Evils cannot D. fully overcome with ,
but legislaton- /
The ara of the desert entry ,
should ~ crt down from ScO acres 60 ,
lot excecd.ng iGo acrrs. and disCre- :
ion should ~ given o. the Secretary \
r the Interior 20 cut u down still /,
urther whcre u 4 apparent that In n
enslve cultivation j. practicable. A ?
arm Of 80 acres II Irrigated - en-
rely too large for single fliJily. 4,
nd rs possession SIMPLY prevents !,
Their settlers from coming into the !.
ountry. furtLermO-e. IL makes lard =
lonOPly easy and induoss specu!a q
Jon. =,
Actual living az home on the land =,
lg hot les tlHn two years sl.r a :,
. required tcfore patent. Your n
commission can rpt understand Why y
ny settler s4ruld be given both 81 =
omestead and a desert entry, either =
Z WI rh without the other should suf- .
&C. NAAfE NAt NV ~ lAlAl-a Niui - =
.Ome The deseTt-'aud aw rbOuld
}. ul.aus az sy,t.eIu. ~. aud a~t'.al
Ona fde Residence should IL rigidly
equlred
1nc actual Trotr ction q \ valuable
rop should =, required on u1t le>s \
han oue-f0u-'h tie ara ~ the on
-. 40 prs, %. as a rule. 'le great
r. part 90 tie q sort entries are
ever actually watered Hundreds q
Z desert pufries were examined by \
1cmhrrs 81 the C0mmlssiuu ga o." d
Ist year and the great H. ioTity 20
hem were found 20 be uniuhabted
uncultiyated. aud with
10 improvements other than a fence.
his applies both 90 desert entries up
N which a lnal proof IL now being
lfered and % other entries 20 which
lille has been given.
n Is a fact That a very small pro-
PORTION % the land disposed q under
he terms Of the law has actually
zen reclaimed and irrigated and
scrutiny Of many hundreds Of ceseu
4 .