The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1909-07-30
IS 1T WORTH wHILE7

present system pursued by some Of the
agents Of the government AS rule the
special agents sent out west to make in
vestigations OF land matters are politi-
cal hangers on who have sfpul'' at
Washington and who probably know all
about playing goff, and are shining lights
in eastern society, but are sadly deficient
in horse sense and know no more
about the conditions surrounding the tax
ing up and acquiring title to piece of
land than hog does about rhe Hereafter.
If they had to go through the hardships
and privations that settler encoun-
ters in making home on piece OF land
when he takes it up' in it's natural
state, and by his toll and industry brings
il to fair state of cultivation, he would
know that the poor settler cannot always
comply with the red tape" regulations
SO rigidly enforced by the land depart
ment Ed.
In the minds Of many there is serious
doubt whether it is worth while for an
honest, industrious man to take up a
government homestead under the most
favoiable conditions. Under the provi-
sions of the reclamation law it is not;
and when, you add to this contempti-
BILE and un-American system Of espionage,
1 it certainly is not The United States
government now maintains land agents
who are sent out to see that fraud is not
committed by homesteaders and desert
entrymen. AS the jobs Of the agents de-
peds upon the success that attends their
4 efforts, they always show extraordinary
diligence in the pursuit of persons whom
| they think have not complied with every
requirement OF the law. The govern
ment is becoming more strict every day,
and it is now hard matter to make final
1 proof As an illustration of what a
homesteader is up against we quote from
an article that appeared in the last issue
Of the Nampa Record The article is by
G. F. Yanke and he certainly knows the
circumstances.
Some six years ago young man
Harmon NJ Frend, miner, fled des-
ert claim on 100 acres, hisintention being
to make of it home and to putimprove-
ments on it as he saved the money with
which to do so. He had the entire 100
acres fenced and two artesian wells sunk
at great expense, in one of which he
secured very small flow Of water. Fail
ing to get water to prove up on the land
he filed homestead and before the six
months were up had good house built,
costing nearly $500, During the winter
he cleared, plowed and leveled some four
or five acres. He seeded the land and
neighbors tell Of how they had seen him
in the field at work at 10 o'clock at night.
and then again at daybreak next morn
ing, trying to get the work done SO that
he might hasten back to earn more money.
The summer was hot and dry and not
water enough SO that most of the alfalfa
died; only the potatoes and onions lived
in the garden In the fall he returned,
and cleared some more land. Being in
poor health, he went to Boise, where he
might secure medical aid as well as work.
! At this time he was away four months
when a contest was filed by S. R. Carron
This case is especially annoying to the
people of Enterprise inasmuch as Mr..
E Friend was the first man to 60 to young
Carron, the man who shot himself while
out hunting here about year ago.
+ This young man was the son offs R.
Carron. Mr.. Friend helped take Carron
to the Givens Hot Springs and then re-
3 turned and helped take the two babies to
one of the neighbors. During the night
Mr.. Friend was sent for and went to Car
ron and was with him when he died
while on his way to Caldwell to the hos
pital. Carron was stranger in the com.
munity and the family was in almost
: destitute circumstances, but everything
J. was done for him that could be done
It S. R. Carron came out and buried hi