Imperial Valley press., 1908-02-08

of uncertainty and deterred home seekers from coming to the valley.
 Land Laws and Decisions.
 Secretary F. c. Ravens read decis- ions and instructions of the Secretary of the Interior bearing on the ques- tion from which it appeared that there has been no direct ruling on the ques- ton on the right of man to take more than one assignment.
 The desert land act says no person shall hold before patent more than 320 acres and that no person may make more than one desert land en- try. The act of Aug. 30, 1890, pro- vides that mo person who shall, after the passage of this Act, enter upon any of the public lands with view to occupation, entry or settlement, un- der any of the land laws, shall be permitted to acquire title to more than 320 acres in the aggregate, un- der all of said laws"
 The affidavit required of claimants conformed to that statute until 1904. An act had been passed to give the right of second entry to homesteaders who had been forced to abandon their claims, and the affidavit had to be changed for their benefit. Secretary Hitchcock therefore issued instruc- tions, dated January, 1904, under this title:
 'The affidavit required to be made by homestead applicants amended so as to state that since Aug. 30 1890, the applicant has not acquired title to and is not now claiming under any of the agricultural public land laws, al amount of land, which, together with ne land applied for, will exceed in ne aggregate 32O acres"
 The Bug In a Rule.
 There was a confederate of lana thieves in the Commissioners office at that time, and when the instruc tions were issued the words "and others" had been inserted after ''homesteaders, and thereafter the Land Office practice was to interpret the ruling as applying to all others. Action intended only TOT the relief of homeSteaders and to carry out a law passed for their benefit alone was per verted to the use of spectators and grabbers That accounts for the prac- tice of the Land Office allowing a speculator to traffic in assignments so long as he did not claim more than 320 acres at any one time. All the speculator had to do in order to be permitted to buy and sell assignments one after another was to abstain from proving up on 320 acres.
 In correcting this abuse, the Land Office appears to have overlooked the case of the settler who occupies un- der entry and assignment, or under more than one assignment, less than 320 acres, and is not speculating nor seeking to do indirectly what the law does not permit him to directly It has failed to make distinction between the land grafter and the bonafide set tier, and has given to the desert land act, which forbids more than one entry, rigid technical interpretation not in consonance with the intent to permit the citizen to acquire not more than 320 acres of public land.
 Unauthorized Action.
 After reading decisions and rulings, Secretary Ravens said it was a pity the directors of Water Company No. 1 didn't read their own resolutions be- fore acting under them. They were empowered only to cooperate in the employment of legal counsel, but they appointed a delegate who is not legal counsel, and gave him credentials not authorized by the resolutions. T am afraid" said Mr. Ravens, that this is a scheme to protect the fellows who have taken and sold assignments of 320 acres over and over The move ment has fallen into the hands of men who want to legalize speculation in desert lands under false pretence of nrOtectinP settlers and theV send