, 1907-07-13

ent time one hundred times as much
as an acre of the greater portion OF
the grazing lands of the arid states.
If a purchase of land contiguous to
homestead entries is ever permitted.
the right ought to be sufficient to per
to support a family. Nothing but I'M
watered grazing lands should ever be
sold under such a system and 1t would
certainly be safe to allow four sec.
lions of these lands to go to q home
steader. Senator Clark's law could be
amended so that 1t would permit of
this practice. The payments need not
necessarily be spot cash. Ten annual
payments OF 12h cents per acre per an.
mum without interest would give the
poorest settler an opportunity to add
sufficiently to his holdings to give sup
port to those dependent upon him.
This privilege ought not to be ex-
tended to any man who now WINS more
than four sections OF land, which
should be the maximum, m no title
should pass to any who have not shown
n bona fde compliance with the home
stead law or have actually resided UP
on lands contiguous to those desired
to he purchased.
Under the provisions of Senator
Clark's law the settler is required to
pay spot ash for the entire amount OF
land taken and the area is only 100
acres, giving" settlers inside the aban'
doned reservations the same quantity
of land now given under the homestead
and desert acts outside. 1t Is not
enough. The government will never
be treating settlers in the arid regions
right till it gives them control of
enough land to support a family.
1t would be easy to prevent settlers
from transferring these rights after
entering into Il contract with the gov
eminent to purchase a quantity of land
under the law, by making 1t a person
al right forfeitabie by any attempt at
assignment or agreement to transfer
after patent had issued. The extension
of the payments over a period of ten
years would make it impracticable for
large land-grabbers to do anything
with it, and it would at the same time
make 1t possible for the people whom
the government desires. to have enter
the public lands to obtain a foothold,
Any abandonment of the lands pur'
chased should work a forfeiture of the
payments made, unless in case of
death, when the right should of course
descend to the heirs.
There are hundreds and thousands
OF places in Wyoming where a man OF
small means could ecure a foothold
under such a law. To run a small
number of cattle all he would require
would be the development of sufficient
water to water his stock and maintain
his household. With a certainty that
his range could not be interfered with
and that the future would see him
the owner of a ranch that would give
support to his family, he would bend
every energy in the Improvement OF
his place, and the improvement OF the
individual means the improvement OF
the entire commonwealth.
Such an act would lend permanence
to the business of the small stockgrow'
err and at the same time his purchase
money would be paid so gradually that
he would not feel the drain-in fact
it would be little more than rent for
the land. The right of the occupant
would be unQuestioned and all the OBJ
jections urged against leasing would
be obviated. Grazing lands contiguous
to homestead settlers would soon pass
in small holdings into the hands OF
small stockmen and the state would
profit very largely thereby.
One of the strong arguments that
could be used with eastern congress
men is the fact that We already have a
limited purchase act that is working
well. It's amendment might be per
mitted