Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-12-06
DEFINES SET
TIERS POSITION
CASE OF HOSIEsTEADERs ONE OF
JUSTICE. SAYS CORES
RESPONDENT.
Are Footing Expense Of Commission
and Accept No Gifts.

Editor Press:-I respectfully ask
permission to say few words in the
columns of your paper in reference
tc accounts and editorials which you
Eave recently published regarding the
Marble creek settlers The Press has
heretofore been very fair to the set
lers, and am sure has no intention
BIT any time to be otherwise | am
lso sure that the false impression
treated by the articles referred to
Eas not due to any intention on your
art to injure the settlers, but. rather
pc result of misinformation from I'M
fliable sources. To assume the
ruth of some statements in the arti-
les is to presume dense ignorance on
he part of the states officials for the
past eight years, the many attor-
peys and parties to the contest, the
department. of the interior, members
f the last l, gislature and all the
lectors. in the state of Idaho who
ollowed the principles and platforms
+ the two great parties in the last
ampaign. | allude particularly to
be assumption that the state is max
g a gift" to the settlers of valu-
BILE timber lands. That is absurd
any schoolboy knows that accord
hg to our state constitution the state
hnnot make gifts 1t is unneces-
Dry to state the details of the ear
er stages of the contest between
be settlers and the state except to
~ that at the time the settlers
ade their several entries upon their
nds, they were advised by both
e local land officials and the com
issioner of the general land office,
at the lands sought were clear of
prior claim and were open to
mestead settlement. and that after
yeral years had elapsed. after the
penditure of much time and money
improvements, suffering severe
rdships, building of roads and
ails by the settlers. the state,
rough its selectors, proceeded to
ntest them for their homes. And
will here say that when the state
en- were making their selections
ey did not hesitate to accept the
be hospitality of the very ones
ey we're despoiling. Early in 1908
cretary Garfield arffimed the tech
bal right of the state to make these
ections, but advised the state land
ard to withdraw from the contest
all cases OF bona fide settlement
select lands elsewhere. The
te could transfer it's selection &c
er lands just as valuable while Il
impossible TO-. the settler ia
nsfer his improvements. time and
tense to another locality. This
made a nonpartisan issue in thu
npaign of 1908. and the whole leg
ture was pledged to some meas
of relief for the settlers. The
Asure that was enacted was a sim
solution of the matter and th'
lers-not the state-paid all thu
In fact 1t has been nothing
pay for the last seven or eigh
and with the burden OF max
a living. eultivating their land
defending their several contests
small wonder that some of then
on the verge of desperation. No
this but various grafters assai
m, representing that IL supplies
a SUFFICIENT funds. they would b
TO influence the state land boar'
the settlers favor. I am sorr!
say that some claimants have beeI
lined to believe this. II SHOULD
borne in mind that the state hA
(ContInued on S1ss Four