The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1909-09-03
GUARDING PUBLIC LAND
Special Agents Sent Out to
See that Settlers Live Up
to the Regulations.
THE LAWS BECOMING STR|CTER
The Man Who Homsteads Must
Show Steady Residence
and Good Faith.

S. H. Cutting, special land agent
with headquarters at S pokane, spent
Saturday in Oroville looking over plats
and getting bearings to carryout work
that he is called upon to perform un
der the Instructions of the department
Of which he is an employee. The du-
ties are not altogether pleasant ones.
but they must be performed 10y some
one, and men are selected for their
fitness and adaptibilty for the work,
In common parlance Mr.. Cutting is IA
trouble maker, yet he carries out his
Instructions with all the delicacy that
it is possible to exercise in the posi-
tion. Ii persons taking up land would
strictly comply with the law there
would be no necessity of the position
Mr. Cutting fills, for examination into
good faith and honest of purpose would
not be required The man who closely
follows the requirements necessary in
order to secure title to government
land has no occasion to fear the visits
and catechising of special agents. 1t
is only those who have indifferently
complied with the law who experience
trouble from an interview with these
officials.
1t cannot be denied that there has
been much fraud in securing title to
government land in the past This |
open violation of requirements has not
been confined to companies and syndi-
Gates that have unlawfully obtained
large tracts of valuable timber In a
smaller way the individual entryman
has been as culpable as the more pow
erful combines. Titles have been OBJ |
tanned under circumstances that would
hardly bear scrutiny. No matter if the
claim is made that man earns his |
land even if complying with the regu-
latlons in perfunctory manner, when
the land is entered the applicant knows
what is expected of him in order to
'oeuiO Pducnu, anu III uile ldlu Is hOu
worth the trouble of living up to the
law in perfecting the entry he should |
not have filed. The laxity of the gov
eminent in guarding against imposi-
tlon resulted in the passing of title to
land seekers until the best of the pub |
TIC domain has been exhausted. AT
thls late day the interior department |
mas awakened to the necessity of a
strlcter guarding of public lands, and
new and more stringent regulations
are constantly being enacted. A few
years ago almost any kind of old con-
Structive residence on homesteads was
accepted, and patents issued 1t is diff |
erent now. The rules require actual
residence. Absence at any time and |
ior any period does not go. The equi-
vocal claim of the land being home |
70 the exclusion of all other homes, |
that was formerly allowed broad con
s1ructlon, has no standing in the evil I.
uehce taken. 1t must be THE residence !
vi the claiment pure and simple and |
gong upon the land for night, or a
uay, once week, or month, no longer
entities one to the claim OF residence. !
mere must be improvements, and good
iaith must be plainly shown. Under
'ne latest forms of final proofs evidence
must be given as to Improvements on,
ana Character Of, every subdivision OF
'ie land the entryman applies to make
PROOF upon. In case of communications
'he requirements as to residence have |
cntirely changed. Formerly the APP
p'icant had six months to get on the
ianu, and then eight months residence
"ouid be considered a sufficient com
piance with the law to make commu-
'ation proof Now man must live on
'he land full II consecutive months,
auu even then it must not appear that
'ne object of entry and proof was for
"s purpose of securing the land III the
Speedlest possible manner and then
aoandoning it. The law is as PLAIN as
a nigh board fence. He who lives on
eae lines laid down in the public land
iaws need fear no difficulty in obtain
ing title. He who attemps to dodge
'ne law is laying up trouble for himself.
whenever a batch of proofs are now
submitted in county the special agent
Is sent out to investigate. That Is Mr'
cuttings mission in this locality. he