Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1908-05-01


Portland.
- Passage OF Fulton resolution .
will mean a great rush OF set .
tiers to Oregon.
Grant contains between 15.-
eco and $4,000 homesteads.
essssesssesesssss
within the next SO days. probably
much sooner. the government and the
Oregon q California railroad COM
pany VIII be locking horns over the
possession Of the unsoid portion Ca
500, eco acres) in the lands granted
to the company In the acts of con-
Eress in 1856 and 1853. the battle
win be waged in the federal courts
IN the Oregon district IN other wordr
the issue win be Joined In Portland.
B. d. Townsend. the special agent
OF the interior department, who made
an exhaustive investigation Of the
grants and who drew up the Fulton
resolution. will come to Portland
within the next 80 days and prepare
to institute proceedings against the
corporation on behalf of the govern
nent. The Fulton resolution was
passed by the house Saturday by an
overwhelming majority. and win be
signed by the president within the
next few days. AS soon as that has
been done, the government will pro-
coed Immediately with legal action.
Private advices received in Port
land this morning are to the effect
that MT Townsend has practically
drafted the petition which will be
filed here shortly after his arrival
The petition win be a bill in equity,
asking the federal court to declare
the unsold portion Of the o. & C. grant
forfeited to the government because
of the violations Of the act of con-
gress perpetrated by the railroad COM
pany in selling the other part OF the |
grant. approximately 100000 acres in |
extent.
1t is anticipated that the o. & c. |
company viii appeal the matter to |
the supreme court of the United |
States, and In case the government |
wins In that tribunal; it is more than |
likely that the secretary of the inte- |
ri0r will restore the 100000 tract |
to entry. giving the public a chance
to file on It under the homestead or
timber and stone act.
As the matter now stands, follow
Ing the adoption OF the Fulton reso-
luton. there Is likely to be the great
sst rush of actual settlers to all sec
Hons Of the grant throughout the
state within the next few months
Much Of the land is very desirable,
md while good deal of 1t is covered
With timber. 1t cannot be excelled for
agricultural purposes when cleared.
. Up to the present time only about
IS actual settlers have had the hard
hood to settle on quar.ersection tracts
y the grant, about 20 of them in Co
nmbia county ana about five in Lane
s0unty. They have taken this step
IN the theory that the o. & C. COM
,any had no right to these lands, and
Inder the law must sell them to bona
ide settlers and in not more than
yer $3.50 per acre. These actual
alers nave all pooled their interest,
ave placed their claims in the hands
4 A. w. Lafferty. local lawyer, who
declared this morning that the pas
age OF the Fulton act is the greatest j,
ictory for the government imagin-
bic, and will mean a tremendous
ush of settlers onto these lands with
a the next few months.
hoIfoxya fhora mill ka i
edented rush of actual settlers onto /,
hese lands from now on" said Mr..
afferty, this morning. Hundreds
I people have been waiting to see
that the outcome would be when
[r. Townsend took his fight into con-
EeBs in the form of the Fulton reso-
ition. Now that home-seekers, ac-
nal bona fide settlers see that the
overnment is taking the matter Sc
Iously, they will flock to these lands !,
t faster rate than the state has
YER known. I am confident of that.
look to see a good share of the most :,
vailable parts of the unsold portions =,
the grant gobbled up within the =
ext six months, not only by people
! this Estate. but from all over the "
1untry.
Value Of the Land.
'erhe railroad company, 1 under
and, holds these lands worth about n
s5 an acre, and the settlers under IL
ie law are entitled to buy them at v
s.50 an acre. The 81 suits which I b
ave filed in the courts here are the Il
aly cases so far where people have s
ldertaken to compel the Oregon & d
alifornia company to live up to the II
W as set down in the acts Of con- Il
,ess OF 1866 and 1862" In
Lafferty prepared resume Of the Il
gisiation and historical facts rela- 81
We to the land grants to the o. G. C. 8,
'mpany for Attorney General Bon ir
'arte. and this resume was used ef- F
ctiyely in the hearings before the C;
,hlfe land nonatr1ftfaa af tha aoY, 70 n