The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1909-04-09
OREGON PAPER TELLS OF
THE LAND GRANT SCRAP
"0fers Land for the Asking With No one to Kick You
Off,, Says the Cottage Grove (Oregon)
Leader Man.

I An interesting state of affairs
has developed as result of the re-
cent Oregon & California land grant
forfeiture suit that was submitted to
/ Judge Wolverton in the local federal
court last week, says the Portland
Telegram.
! Analysis of the situation incident
to arguments on the demurrer of
the Hartman system to the govern.
ment's bill of complaint indicates
that 100000 acres of the domain
| of Oregon, valuable chiefly for agri-
/ cultural and timber purposes and
worth in the aggregate approximately
S4O,O00,000, is practically no mans
land" at the present time and sub
! ject to indiscriminate settlement and
occupancy for an indefinite period
without danger of protest from any
source.
By rendering $3.50 an acre as
the purchase price which the rail-
road company, for obvious reasons,
is bound to refuse, quasi right to
enter into possession is established
and any person is thereby privileged
to go on quarter section, cut suffi-
cient timber to build house and
make other necessary improvements,
and live in comparative ease and
comfort the remainder of his earthly
days without having his peace of
mind disturbed by such phantoms
as anticipated visits from the tax
collector, rent agents or anything
telse of annoying character.
In short he can maintain an
existence there in a way that makes
an Elysium dream look like hide
Gus nightmare, for as matters now
stand nobody knows who owns the
land, and the chances are the chaotic
mists that have arisen in conse-
quence now pending litigation be-
tween the government and the rail-
road company will not be dispelled
( for such a length of time that gen.
eratlons may come and go before the
war of titles is ended.
The prospective settler need not
necessarily have any money to attain
this unprecedented goal. All the
requisite qualifications to become
eligible to membership in this
Lazy Mems Paradise Association is
to write out any-old check for $4OO
and tender it with a pleasant smile
as payment to the railway corpora
ton for 100 acres.
i It is not at all essential that he
| should have deposit in the bank
to make the check good either, be
cause they are obliged to turn up
their noses at it anyway, and met
aphorically give it swift kick out of
their lard department. To accept
the amount would mean ruin to
them, since it would be in. the nature
of recognition of the governments
contention that the two raillion or so
of the vast area must be sold to
actual settlers only in quantities not
more than quarter section to each
purchaser, and at a price not exceed
ing $3.50 an acre. The chance
would be too great on speculation
of that kind.
Neither would Uncle Sam object
to any settlement on the land. In
fact, he would hail such proceeding
with JOY, inasmuch as it would con-
form to lines that he has maintained
vigorously for fortnight or more
through able counsel, and from his
point of view would carry out the
terms of the grant made by Congress
to the railway corporation more than
40 years ago.
In case the Hartman people un-
dertook to treat settler on these
lands as an interloper and attempted
to erect him for illegal trepass, the
United States would be in honor
bound to arise in its might. as it has
done of yore, call out the army and
navy, likewise the home guards and
all its available force, including the
moral squad, and make Hartman
the Great re emble common, every
day Filipino. Protection is a stern
duty it owes to all its citizens,
whether native-born or otherwise,
and the fact that a person has taken
the oath of allegiance to the Stars
and Stripes would entitle him to all
the accompanying benefits.
He would be privileged charac-
ter so far as his occupancy of these
lands is concerned, and could retire
at night-or sleep all day if more de.
sirable-without fear of goose.1esh
developing on his hide or symptoms
of cold chills doing the Marathon
stunt up and down his spinal column,
in the proud thought that he was
immune from danger of being kicked
off the premises by mercenary cor
poration.
Whether this condition is in any
wise responsible for the unprece-
dented rush of settlers to the Oregon
country just at present remains to be
(Cnntin,,ad IN 10 CT naoa