Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-01


or indirectly a willing and knowing
partner in the importation of opium
not used for medicinal purposes It's
transportation, concealment or sale,
is made liable to a fine of not more
than $4,000 nor less than $780, or I'M
prisonment not to exceed two years.
or both Furthermore, the person who
is caught with the goods on him" is
to be assumed guilty unless he can
establish his innocence.
There are q number of new laws
with reference to the public lands OF
the nation. One of these provides that
where a company agreed to build a
railroad in exchange for public land
and has not done so in compliance with
the act authorizing such agreement, all
right and title thereto shall end, and
the government resume ownership.
Where these lands have been sold by
the government subject to the prior
claims of the railroads, the new law
provides that its operation shall free
them from the cloud of any such prior
claim. Another land law provides for
the enlargement of the homestead in
certain localities to 800 acres instead
of 160 This is done to encourage the
settlement of the less desirable lands
of the public domain. There are mil
lions of acres of this domain where the
gift of 100 acres would not suft1ce TO
bring actual settlers. With the 32O-
acre provision it is believed that even
these remnants of the great American
desert will be rapidly transformed into
lands flowing with the milk and honey
of prosperous agriculture.
Another land law relates to the ca
nal zone, and authorizes the leasing OF
the government lands there to bona
fide settlers for period of twenty-five
years. The government retains all
4 Ill - tn hn
to be leased. While the lands along
the line of the canal are not desirable
for settlement, when one gets few
miles away from the big ditch he finds
fine tablelands covered with a wealth
of grass as good for grazing as the
finest blue glass of Kentucky. Whether
a enty-five-year-lease will be suffi-
Client inducement to fill up the outly-
ing districts of the canal zone with
Americans remains to be seen. An
other new law, now effective, gives
homesteaders the right to prevent pros
Meeting for coal or other deposits I'M
less the prospector gives the neces-
sary indemnifying security to prevent
loss to the homsteader through pros
pecting work. The law gives nome
steders the right to mine coal for do
nestle consumption until such times as
this right is sold by the government.
The days of the outlaw on the MIS-
sissippi river are numbered. For many
years the unsettled condition of the
river boundaries between the states Of
Mississippi and Arkansas, Mississippi
and Louisiana and Tennessee and Ar
kansas has served to put twilight
Zone along the river, which has
proved as effective a protection for
criminals as any ancient city of ref
uge. Congress has now given the con-
sent the constitution required for per-
hitting these states to determine Tor
themselves the question of Jurisdiction
over this territory, and the states VIII
speedily act under this authority.
On the first day of next July the new
copyright law will go into effect. This
act amends the existing law in num-
Der of particulars, especially with ref
erence to canned music" and CONSOLE
dates the various acts relating to
copyrights into one homogeneous law
The register of copyrights has copies or
the new law for gratuitous distribution
to all parties interested.
The railroads are required to tell
"the truth, the whole truth and moth
ing but the truth" hereafter in the
keeping of their records. A new amend
ment to the interstate commerce act
sets forth that any one who willfully
makes a false entry in any memoran-
dunn or record kept by carrier, or
who shall willfully destroy, mutilate'
alter or by any means falsify such rec
ords or memoranda, or who shall fail
to make full, true and correct account
of all transactions, shall be punished