Imperial Valley press., 1908-02-08

| "1he Commissioner says that, al though the assignees seem to be qual flied to receive their respective as signments. as set forth under the for mer practice of this office, it is now held that a person who makes a des ] ert land entry, or receives an assign ment of a desert land entry, thereby exhausts his right under the law, and becomes disqualified to make another entry, notwithstanding the fact that the combined areas of such entries may not exceed 32O acres
 "The assignee of two or more as signments is permitted by the com missioner to elect which of the as- signments he will retain, and sixty days from notice is allowed in which to make the selections so permitted"
 Precaution Advised.
 Back of all these disturbing con ditions," says Gen. Prescott, lis the Board of Equitable Adjudication, law fully empowered to afford equitable relief in many cases. It is the part of prudence at the present time to correct by proper relinquishment and re-entry by qualified entrymen in all cases where plural assignment raises this grave objection"
 The precaution advised covers only one class of cases and affords no re- lief to the settler who holds by entry and assignment. If the Commission e1 $ interpretation of the law should be sustained by the courts, which is more %han doubtful, the only relief would be through act of Congress. 1t may be found necessary to take a test case through the Department and into court should the Secretary of the Interior refuse to order modifica- tion of the rule.
 Secretary Garfield and President Roosevelt are friends of the honest settler, and they will not permit him to be injured if they understand the situation. They will soak" the graft CT, however, and therefore MT. Glea- son does not appear to be just the right man to secure their sympathetic attention to the case of the Imperial Valley settler. Vague hints of rifle practice on contestants and baseless stories of impending violence and bloodshed are not the arguments that are likely to appeal to the Secretary of the Interior.
 Gleasonisms.
 MT. Gleason writes to the Press a long letter, going over the points at issue and taking exception to what he assumes to be the attitude of the paper. He says: "I infer that you are little fearful to go quite to the extent that do in defence of the present owners of Imperial Valley lands for fear thereby you would be defending or protecting some large land owners or speculators in entries and assignments"
 The Press will go further than Mir. Gleason is expected by those who know him to go in defence of bona fide settlers, but it does suspect that in going with him it would be pro- tecting spectators in assignments.
 Makes Smoke.
 Mr. Gleason continues:
 "Nine-tenths of the contests now being filed in the Los Angeles Land Office at the rate of half dozen or more a day are on the ground of this new ruling, and since you take in your article the position of defending contestants, as opposed to claim jump CTS, I would like to have you show wherein a man who will attempt to deprive the owner of an improved farm of his property upon such grounds, is any better than the man who will squat in your alfalfa field