East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-04-01
VAST TRACT Of
NO MAN s LAND
OVER TWO MILLION ACRES
FREE FOR ANYONE TO USE
Timber Land Under Contest Between
the Oregon & California Railroad
and GOvernment-Any One Free
TO Live On 1t Until Conest is Settl-
ed-Must Submit Payment But the
Railroad Company Must Refuse 1t.

An interesting state of affairs has
egon & California land grant forfeit
ure suit that was submitted to Judge
Wolverton in the federal court at
Portland a short time ago. Analysis
Of the situation incident to arguments
on the demurrer of the Hartman sys-
tenn to the governments bill of COM
plant indicates that 2,SOO,O 900 acres of
the domain of oregon, valuable chiefly
for agricultural and timber purposes,
and worth in the aggregate approx
mately s40,000,000, is practically mo
mans land" at the present time, and
subject to indiscriminate settlement
and occupancy for an indefinite pc
riod without danger of protest from
any source.
By rendering $3.50 an acre as the
purchase price, which the railroad
company, for obvious reasons is bound
to refuse, a quasi right to enter into
possession is established, and any per-
son is thereby privileged to go on a.
quarter section, cut sufficient timber
cessary improvements and live in COM
parative ease and comfort the remain
der of his earthly days without hav-
ing his peace of mind disturbed byI
such phantoms as anticipated visits
from the tax collector, rent agents orI
anything else of an annoying charac-
ter, asserts one report. In short, he
can maintain an existence there in al
way that makes an Elysium dream
look like hideous nightmare, for as
matters now stand nobody knows who
owns the land, and the changes are
the chaotic mists that have arisen in |
consequence Of pending litigation be-
tween the government and railroad
will not be dispelled for such |
a length of time that generations may
come and go before the war of titles
is ended
Don't Dare Accept Payment
The prospective settler need not
have any money to attain
this unprecedented goal. All the re-
quisite qualifications to become ELI
gible to membership in this Lazy
Mans Paradise association is to write
out any old check for $40 and tender
It with pleasant smile as payment to
the railway corporation for 100 acres.
It Is not at all essential that he should
have a deposit in the bank to make
he check good, either, because they
Ire obliged to turn up their noses at
t any way, and metaphorically give
t swift kick out of their land de-
oartment. To accept the amount
would mean ruin to them, since
would be in the nature Of a recogni-
ion of the governments contentionl
hat the 100000 or so of the vast
Irea in quantities not more than a |
Iuarter section to each purchaser, and /
t price not exceeding $3.50 an acre.
The chance would be too great on a ,
peculaton Of that kind
Neither would Uncle Sam object to
ny settlement on the land. In fact t
lie would hail such a proceeding with
oy, inasmuch as 1t would conform to
ines that he has maintained vigor- S
usly for a fortnight or more through I
BILE counsel, and from his point of '
lew would carry out the terms of the
rant made by congress to the railway
orporatlon more than 40 years ago.
Uncle Sam Backing Him.
In case the Hartman people under
ook to treat settler on these lands {
s an interloper and attempted to eject ]
i'm for Illegal trepass. the United '
tates would be in honor bound to {
rise in Its might, as It has done
ore. call out the army and navy like {
'ise the home guards and all it
force, including the moral !