Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1908-09-04

Over Decision Ia their Favor
Squtters Disgruntled.

ington that Commissioner Dem
nett, of the General Land Office,
had given orders for the imme-
,diate consideration and final dis
position of all contests against
homestead entries in the Siletz
Indian Reservation, was well
come news to the settlers, many
of whose claims have been held
up for several years. Commis-
sioner bennett gives the anxious
settlers further assuring inform
alton when he declared that no
contestants has the right to re-
sort to the practice OF Il squat
ter. H.-s .s-.l s.z.z- g. s,Y-
1 1t is declared by the Commits
sioner that as long as the entry
is i'll process OF perfection only
the original entryman has the
rIgnt to occupy and use the
land. The only way for con-
testant to establish any claim to
a disputed homestead is to file
contest proceedings, and then if
the contest is sustained he has
preference right of 80 days fol-
lowing the cancellation of the
application to file ou the land
for himself. But the squatter
obtains no prior rights by going
on an unprotected homestead, !
and the Department will consid-
or such operations illegal.
MANY ENTRIES ARE PENDING.
There are probably 400 home
stead entries in the Siletz dis.
trict that are still pending. OF
that number probably 100 con-
tests have been allowed by the
General Land Office and are in
process of litigation, pending
before the local land office or
pending before the General
land Office, or Secretary of the
Interior on appeal. AS to the
other 800, the contests that have
been filed are still before the
Commissioner, who first passes
on the sufficiency of the COM
plant of the contestant before
the contest can be. further pros
ecuted. In view of the appar-
ent attitude of Commissioner
bennett to pass to patent all
claims where the entrymen have
shown good faith, it is expected
that many of the contests now
pending before him in their
initial state will be dismissed,
uuless there is fragrant evidence
Of fraud and collusion by the
entrymen. # -
& Discussing the situation in
the Siletz district and the con-
ditions under which the entry
men have proceeded, A. w. Laf-
ferty, a land Office attorney, of
Portland, says:
"The dispatch from Washing
ton, DC, is most encouraging to
the Siletz homesteaders. Com
missioner Dennett's interview
indicates that he has been thor
oughly advised by his special
agents stationed here. That
Oregon will be Justly treated by
the present administration OF
the General Land Office goes
without saying. Both Commis-
sioner bennett and his Superin-
tendent of Field Service, sta
toned at Washington, H. H.
Schwartz, are Western men, hav-
ing been recently appointed
from South Dakota and Mon
tana, respectively.
A few of my clients are inclu-
ded in those held up and they
report that the local special
agents have recently been max
ing sweeping investigation o1
the facts surrounding the Siletz
claims, particularly with refer,
ense to the honesty of the settlers
in taking up the claims for their
own use and benefit and without
collusion. They state that this
investigation has also included 9
thorough examination into the
facts surrounding the flood ot
contests filed against the origi-
nal settlers years after they hao
proved up. The settlers are
highly elated over the prospecr
of receiving prompt and just
action at the hands of the Gen.