The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-16
WOULD SIMPLIFY
LAND SELECTIONS
Governor Gooding Seeks Cut
Ier'S Cooperation in Sim
pIifying Regulations.
SYSTEM IS COMPLICATED
CONCERTED ACTION BY WEST.
ERN STATES is URGED.

! Governor Cutler has received n letter
/ from Governor F. c. Cooling OF idaho.
IN which attention is called TO the mat
ter OF the amount Of red tape that it is
necessary to unwind to procure the Sc
lection of public lands Tor the use of the
school funds Governor Gooding asks
! that Governor Cutler Cooperate with
/ fum IN bringing the matter 90 the at
tehllon of the general land Office al
! Washington
Governor GoCding has sent a repre-
SCI tdtive TO Washington to take up the
! matter there, and asks Governor Cutie
I 10 do likewise
! Governor Cutler has sent copies of
] Governor GoodiESs letter 10 the repre-
/ SCI tatlVes of the state at tne national
! capital, and has asked them to give the
] matter their attention
! me letter of Governor GoOdine IN
/ which he points out the alleged weak
/ spots in the present land laws. is as
! follows.
Il am writing YOU. and several other.
! governors of western states which were
| granted public lands for the s,lDport
! OF common schools and other institu-
! uCns. IN the hOre OF enlistinc vouT co
! operation in an effort to nave modified
the regulations under which these
grants at present are filled.
Rules Are Complicated.
There has been a steady trend TO-
/ wards the adoption of involved and
/ elaborate rules regulating the Sc
! lecIlon of public lands by the states
/ Under the new regulations oromulgat-
ed Oh Jan. TO- 1906, it is necessary to file
/ a selection list for every 100 acres Of
: lahu selected. The lands i'm any one
| list must be contiguous 1t is neces-
/ sary, wherever there are mining claims
! Withln six miles of the land selected
/ that notice OF selection De posted ON
/ every forty-acre tract Of the land. thus
making ii r5ctically imposs bic t.
| make selections for the state during
/ the winter months
The regulations Of Jan. 10. purpor:-
I ING TO relate solely to common school
indemnity lands. have been extended
] ny the rulings of the commissioner of
! the general land Office SO rs TO be M
! plcaDie to the selection foY The orig
mai grants. and this apparently witt
! out any authority Of law The most in
! VOWED and cumbersome syctem of aft
/ daVits upon selcCtiOn are required. NJ
amendment of any list can be accented.
1 10 correct clerical errors and the ike
! WITHOUT the state losing the priority
/ obtained by the original ilinos. The
/ iccai land offices are not empowered t.
/ accept the states ACCOMPLISHMENTS So
/ tEat errors n the selection for indenl-
| nifty lands may be corrected bv relin-
quishment and new filings. There is
| moreover, an attempt to make these
rev regulations retroactive. applying
them TO lists filed before the regulations
were adopted, and making the state 60
back over its election lists. end comply
With these new regulations
Activity at Washington.
''Al in all. it has come to such =
pass that it is very difficult. indeed for
the state TO make selections that VIII
meet the approval of the department i'm
| Washington. / am requesting our rep
reSeniatives in congress to exert evarv
effort toward having these regulations.
modified, 60 as 10 do away with the m
| necessary RED tape which hampers the
state in its selections. / am asking
your cooperation to the end that there.
may be con certed effort on the part of
tn western lard grant states toward
getting the rules with regard to the Sc
lection of these grants NmpH6ed.
We shall send TO Washington within
the next few weeks Mr.. T.. L. Marvin
who has charge Of the selection of the
states lands; and / should appreciate
it very much If YOU would. through
your senators and representatives in
! cor gress, assist him i'm his effort 10
obtain modification of these rules.
and. If practice bic. l should be very
glad If each state might send a repre-
sentative TO the land department there
! II cooperate in the same effort Every
western land grant state is alike inter-
ested in this movement Under the new,
rules the cost Of selecting state lands
is practically trebled by reason of the
amount of field work required"