The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-12-13
BEING CHOKED TO DEATH
klNkAlD HOMESTEAD ACT NOT
BEING FAIRLY TREATED.
CONGRESSMAN REGISTERS KICK


Kinkaid homestead bill, which has
largely been taken advantage Of by
farmers in western Nebraska, has had
a series of ups and downs in the land
Office, which its author, Moses p. Kin
kaid, proposes to rectify II 1t is in his
power. Since the passage Of the Kin
kaid act he has watched its effects
and noted its drawbacks. 1t was un.
doubtedly the best bill that could be
passed at the time, according to mem.
bers of the public land committee, and
| Ii is doubted IL such a measure could
since the Fifty-ninth, and the POSSIBLE
| ity of its passage in the congress now
in session Is extremely questioned.
However, 1t Is law and the measure
of good it has accomplished is testified
| to by the large number of entries that
have been made under its provisions.
Notwithstanding it is a law, the land
Office has been extremely pertinacious
| in It's Interpretation of features Of the
Kinkaid act to the extent that many
entries that have been made on lands
in the territory affected by the act
have been held up until intending set
tiers have grown tired of waiting upon
action by the department and have
abandoned their entries completely.
In fact, by its mastery inactivity, the
land office, having presumably more
vital things at hand has made 1t nee
essary that the representative from the
Sixth district bring it before the atten-
ton of the land officials.
| Judge Kinkaid had a long confer
ence with Commissioner Ballinger of
the general land Office in relation to
the operation of certain features of
the bill which gives intending settlers
the right to enter upon lands over and
above the 100 acres prescribed under
the general homestead law. He
brought to the attention of Mr.. Bal
linger that the act, which was intended
to be in the nature of a large relief
for the honest settler, was being
choked to death in the general land
Office because of the failure to admin
lister the law properly, and especially
so in relation to the purchase of iso-
lated tracts surrounding lands entered
upon by the homeSteader. 1t was Mr.
kinkaid's contention that the applica-
ton for these purchases should be
passed upon in due season by the de-
partment, but instead applications
have been allowed to grow musty in
the department and so far as any ac-
ton of officials show have been entire.
ly forgotten.
Judge Kinkaid, who knows every
foot of the Sixth district and who is in
complete harmony with his constitu-
ents, sees the necessity of increasing
the size of isolated tracts which may
be purchased by homesteaders from
a quarter section, which is now the
law, to three-quarters, and he pro-
poses to make fight along these lines
in order to make his bill still more
effective.
He also urged upon Commissioner
Ballinger that the ruling of the gen.
eral land office relative to entry of old
soldiers upon lands in the Sixth dis
trict included under the provisions Of
the Kinkaid act should be resumed
and that the right of entry should be
given the old soldier the second time
if in the first instance, by reason of a
misunderstanding, his first entry was
not satisfactory to the department.
He urged the resumption of the for
mer ruling. Judge Kinkaid pointed
out in his interview with the commits
sioner that other states in the arid or
semi-arid belt were moving for laws
like that of the Kinkaid act, only that
they insisted upon a larger acreage
upon which entry could be made by
the intending homeseeker than under
his bill, which to him showed the trend
of the western mind upon these very
important land questions.
The interview was entirely satisfac-
tory" said Judge Kinkaid, "and have
every reason to believe that more
liberal construction will be made upon
the law than has characterized the
departments position in the last few
months"
Objects to Closing Land Offices.
Being upon the subject of land mat
tiers at the Interior department the
representative from O'Neill saw Sec
rotary Garfield in relation to the dis.
continuance of the Broken Bow and
ONeill land offices, former Chief Clerk
Macy of the land office, and now an
inspector of the Interior department,
after visit to the Offices above named,
having recommended their discontin-
uance. Congressman Kinkaid insisted
to the secretary that both the land
Offices in question were paying their
own way and that within year and a
half the first section of entrymen I'M
der the Kinkaid act will be ready for
settlement and that will give the of.
fees largely increased amount of
work to do for long time to come.
Secretary Garfield promised that no