davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-18

Chamberlain's Stomach and Liver
Tablets are safe, sure and reliable.
and have been praised by thousands
of women who have been restored
to health through their gentle aid
and curative properties. Sold by all
druggists.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-18
The Waterway or Water Power Bill
Recently Defeated in the legislature

/ flowed, and payments and damages be
required of the state Of nlinois-shift-
ing that burden from the Chicago san
itary district, where it now lies.
There are now damage suits pend
ing to the amount of 100000 against
the sanitary district of Chicago for
land overlooked along the Illinois river
How much would there be against the
state of Illinois by adding 5000 cubic
feet of water per second through the
channel, and the state of Illinois as
sumo the payment OF all damages?
suggest that the 2O,0O0.000 would
only commence the work and in the
end it would cost 10, so or even 20
million dollars. Neither does this ar
ticle presume to discuss the merits or
dement's. or demands for deep water
way from Lake Michigan to the gulf
Of Mexico and suggest that IT is
claimed by the federal authorities that
the United States government may d.,
vert the water from Lake Michigan
out of the Desplaines river whore IL
has been placed artidcially into anoth-
er channel so that the state OF Illinois
would be the owner of all the water
power development, but believe IL IS
not claimed that the state of Illinois
has any such authority.
intend before the primaries next
September to fully explain this bill.
with other measures pending at
Springfield, to all of the voters or Nc
Henry county on the stump and other
wise and would respectfully ask the
voters of McHenry county to postpone
their endorsement of such bills as the
Schmitt bill and the political interest
that is seeking to pass it, until the
subject is thoroughly discussed.
Very Respectfully,
EDWARD d. SHURTLEFF.
N. B.-The Desplaines river flows
through a course Is miles from Lock
Fort. where, in conjunction with the
Kankakee river, 1t forms the upper
Illinois river, then about IS miles to
Utica. About one-half of the fall and
possible water power development IS
in the Desplaines river and the other
half in the upper Illinois. between
Dresden Heights and Utica. Otherwise
cata in foregoing article is substan-
TALLY correct 2. d. s.
CThe proportion of this bond issue,
under present assessments, as applied
to this senatorial district, would be as
follows: Rock Island county, $780,
1885; Mercer county. $99,13S.1I; b
Henderson county. $62,211.4o.)
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-18
only one asromo ouInIne.

That is Laxative Bromo Quinine. Look
for the signature of e. w. Grove. Used
the world over to cure cold in one
day. Csc.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-18
Very Respectfully,

CThe proportion of this bond issue,
under present assessments. as applied
to this senatorial district, would be as
follows: Rock Island county, $170,-
1885; Mercer county, $99,13S.11:
Henderson county. $62,211.40.)
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
Unlawful Fencing

Great stockmen have much influence
IN state and county government In the
west. The states have the authority
TO lease public land granted them by
the national government for such pur-
poses as the maintenance OF schools
and institutions. Through the inhu-
ence OF certain wealthy men of the
ranches long strips Of land are leased
or sold. These strips are in such forms
as 20 compare with the frame of a pic
ture. That portion that would go to
make up the picture itself is still gov
ernfnent land. The stockmen have
perfect right obviously, to put fences
on the land they have bought or leased.
But IN so doing, they inciose in their
"a stures vast amounts OF government
land which, according TO law, IT is un-
lawful TO fence. This land is prac-
tically withdrawn from other settle
nent. for the homesteader locating
there would be cut off from the world
by the fences. and harassed beyond
endurance by the cattleman and his
cowboys.
another method Of avoiding the let
ter Of the law in fencing government
land is almost, but not quite, to inclose
II. The fence around a field may lack
, but a foot Of inclosing It, and a stout
post may stand on either side of this
gap No horse or COW could crowd
through it Yet the land is not inclosed
The livestock companies also make
many filings on land through their
herders and cowboys, who take up
homesteads Of $50 acres each. The
homesteader is supposed to reside upon
the land and 10 make proof for the
purpose Of obtaining title. Whers the
COW punchers arc on a big cattle ranch,
and moving back and forth, they can,
bv building a small shack on 16O acres,
make such pretense to residence as 10
render II difficult 10 cancel the pending
entry. IN this way the companies are
able to get title 10 large tracts. or at
least control them for many years.
There are several transcontinental
railroad lines to which congress has
Given the alternate or odd sections of
land for from 20 TO 40 miles on each
side Of their tracks This was given as
an tnducenent 10 the railroads TO eGtld
fnt, the .iesolate country in early times,
but the result Of il has been the loss Of
fttTe 10 the government of land that is
,,-ortb many times the cost of building
the railroad. The odd and even sections
sra so laid out that the railroad COM
panies' grants are as the black spaces
on a checkerboard, the intervening req
sDaces being government land Cattle
connanfes purchase the odd sections
from the railroads and run their FENCES
70 tnclose vast areas. the fences cross
ing from one odd section TO another at
tbe noints where these barely touch, as
40 the iagonal squares on the checker
board In this way the fences' slrlctIy
speaking, are on the lano purchased
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

title is secured the water right is sold
TO another man and another 800 acres
is entered. The result is that cventu-
ally all the grazing and pasture lands
como under the ownership Of the stock
men by means of the single water right
which has been judiciously passed
around.
The manner OF securing final proof
that water has been conducted over all
the land is even more ingenious. One
of the cruder methods of bolstering
the oath at the time of making final
proof is that of blowing burrows in all
directions and running water into them
for single day at some time of plenti-
full rainfall. In some instances the
water IS Conducted" over the land in
a barrel on wagon and thrown out
upon 1t with a dipper. after which the
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

land taken by the government. or old
soldiers, TO given amounts OF land Sc
lected wherever such lands occur in
the government holdings II Is trans
ferable. 1t is good only on nonmineral
land. In order to file IT the party
holding II must take oath that there
is no mineral on the land selected. In
dividually he may be ignorant in this
respect. Coal for instance. usually lies
IN blanket beds possibly scores of miles
wide with no outcrOpping. There may
be layer after layer of this coal OF
inestimable value. CANYONS may cut
into the coal around the edges of a
great plain. Biologists and coal men
know that there is coal beneath the
whole plain
With this knowledge the dummy IS
useful. Script may be bought for
from 81 to Sc an acre. Coal companies
will purchase the script in the name OF
one Of their officers or attorneys, who,
being the record owner. will sell to
the insolvent entryman on credit. TAX
ing a mortgage upon the land selected
and using the usual method OF closing
the dummy out and getting title II
is difficult TO prove this conspiracy or
perjury against the entryman who
swore there was no mineral on his
property. Only the guilty parties know
that there was a conspiracy. The gov
ernment agents have had a hard fight,
under the law, breaking into the
inner consciousness OF these men and
getting evidence Of known conspiracies.
The government is taking it's most ef-
fective step just now toward prevent
ing this fraud by classifying and ap-
praiSing coal lands.
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

tracts Of land hy means of the sub
terfuge of loaniass money on 1t. The
courts have decided that an entryman
may borrow the money necessary In
filing and may bind his interest in the
land in payment. Jnsolvent persons
make timber and stone entries. home
stead entries and desert entries. and
the moneyed men who desire the land
thereupon loan these persons the neces-
sary funds with which to make pay
ment to the government, taking q note
and mortgage payable 90 days or so.
Within the time the money lender gives
the entryman a bonus of $50 or 500 to
waive the claim and execute deed. The
great bulk of all the fraudulent land
business is carried on under this SIM
Pile device. The only remedy the gov
ernment has at present Is to break
into the inner consciousness of the
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
Using Forestry Script

The act creating national forests
provided that any person having land
within the limits of the area set aside
might deed it back to the government
and in lieu thereof get the right to
select an equal acreage of nonmineral
land wherever such properties were
still held by tho government This
right to exchange existed down to
March s, 1908, and established an end
less chain for the wise ones OF ths
west. Immense amounts OF practically
worthless lands. some OF them with
little or no timber, were bought up by
spectators who later maneuvered TO
have them included in national foresta
Tho lands had been bought for from
so cents to 81 an acre and the right to
select q like acreage accorded by the
script was worth from three to ten
California. II Is authoritatively stated,
crowd OF spectators IL years ago
cleared UP $4,000, 900 In this way.
Sawmin people worked a similar
dodge up tc the time OF the repeal
OF the act. Railroad grants covered
much OF the land that was within the
limits OF the national forests. The
sawmin companies purchased these odd
sections from the railroad people, cut
the timber off them and thereafter
decided the worthless stumps back to
the government. The land had OF
course, Ocen deprived or It's timber,
but the lumbermen often succeeded in
getting the right TO select other for
ests primeval in its stead. The infiu-
ence of men IN high places, together
with the inefflciency OF. the laws. made
this possible.
Everybody acknowledges the made
quacy OF the present laws. For in
stance, there Is no way In which an
oil fold on government land may be
taken up as such. In the west there
are vast oil fields that have passed into
private ownership IN one way and an
other through entries that were OF ne
cessity fraudulent Much of the land
has been fled upon as homestead The
favorite device. however. Is that OF
entering oil lands as placer claims.
Title was gained TO practically all the
oil lands in California In this way.
Again, it was hlsd upon as gypsum land.
This sort OF fling required that certain
amounts OF money be expended in de-
velopment work. In many a hillside IN
California there are all manner OF fan
tastic stairways cut which serve no
other purpose than the useless expend-
iture Of assessment money on gypsum
claims that oil lands may be patented.
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
Grabbing Coal Lands

In one western state there is $50, ,o0o, 900
worth OF coal land that has been unlaw-
fully patented by operating through the
use OF script" md dummies" There
is a great amount OF script IN exist
ence in the west II Is held by peo-
pie who owned land that tho govern
ment wanted or had been induced to
take for national parks. reservations,
national forests or some such purpose.
A vast amount OF Il Is soldier script.
Men having served IN tho army are en-
titled to this script calling for land
There Is not q soldierS home IN the
country that Is not regularly solicited
for this script. The government agents
declare that the amount of fraud that
originates from this perquisite granted
to the men who have borne arms for
the nation is nothing less than appall-
Ing. Script entities the owners OF
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
ALLEGED RESERvOEP5 ONDEP WITCH DESERT
zdH2 1s511lS vAS eS 1AzEN7ED oNAcLALI oFHA1YG BEEN

oath Is taken. There Is IN Montana q
record Of q case where the applicant
filled q beer bottle with water, tied it
to the tail OF a blackboard, dragged it
about the premises and then took his
final oath.
When these or similar frauds are dis
covered the entries are cancelled and
the parties making them prosecuted for
perjury in the event that the court
holds that the perjured statement Is
material There are approximately
900 entries made each year and
about zoo men are maintained in the
field to Investigate them on the part
OF the government. Taking tt for
granted that the investigators are ef-
ficient and enthusiastic there Is little
chance of their covering the fsld with
any degree of thoroughnesA
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
ACCOPDING 10 TIE EN7PX THIS WLUA1lE Land IS
ME1FELY 4 DESERT HOHE.SIEAD

men TO reside upon and cultivate their
land The courts have come to a very
technical construction of what amounts
to perjury in homestead final proofs,
and therefore 1t is comparatively safe
to swear falsely. If an entryman, for
instance. testifies that he cultivated 40
acres and it is subsequently proven
that he cultivated but one acre, he
may not be prosecuted for perjury, as
the law does not require the entryman
to state how much he cultivated, and
1t is therefore technically immaterial
how much he lies about 1t. There is
practically the same sort Of ruling
which makes 1t safe for him to mis-
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

from the railways, but an equal amount
of government land is likewise inclosed
in the pastures. The supreme court
has held that this does not violate the
law. Yet 1t is practically impossible
for the general public TO get at the
even sections and the cattlemeA are
getting as much benefit from them as
though they were actually owned by
them.
In some of the western states laws
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
By w. A. DU PUY

@ HERE are thousands OF easy
money men in the west today
who are operating skin games as
hackneyed in this section as is
pushing the queer, Juggling the shells
and pea, resurrecting the sick engi-
neer. IN the east. The object Of their
operations is to get from Uncle Sam
land which they are not entitled to.
These same old games have been
worked for generations. They have
been winked at by the law in much the
same way as has the open sidedoor in
eastern cities. where the statutes de-
clare for sunday closing
Government lands are not highly
priced in the section where they are
plentiful. The government is such an
indefinite proprietor that no man has
felt called upon to see that fraud is
not perpetrated- To illicitly obtain
title TO land has been classed with
such jocular Iapses of conscience as
that which cheats his neighbor in
horsetrade or surreptitiOusly purloins
his watermelons. The government,
through its agents, is thoroughly IA
nliliar with these methods, and IL is
TO prevent them that much legislation
is now pending.
There Is yet an empire to be saved
from unfair appropriation. The gov
ernment today owns land, exclusive Of
Alaska. greater in extent than all that
region east Of the Alleghenies, upon
which dwell 3o.000,OOO people. There is
enough Of It TO make u states like
New York. two like Texas. so like
RTassa clusetts There is 10000 600
acres OF il designated as coal land; 30,
100000 acres that may be irrigated.
There is enough waterpower on it to
turn the spindIes Of the nation, present
and future. It occupies the position
with relation to the public that was
held by the lands OF Kansas a genera
tion ago. The ingenious methods Of
Its wrongful appropriation are many
and Interesting.
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

age" 1t often happens, particularly
among immigrants, that the records Of
the land office show that the husband
will take a homestead. Then, almost
Immediately, the wife viii procure a
divorce upon such charge as cruelty
or desertion. She will thereupon, be-
ing a single person over 21, enter an
adjoining 100 acres as her homestead.
The house may be built on the divid-
ing line, with the kitchen on the
woman's side and the barn on the
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

mans. Each party concerned may
live upon the land entered without ma
terially mountaineering the household
AS soon as title is acquired the couple
remarries.
The court has judicially declared that
one who is a guardian, having adopted
a dependent person or minor child, is
the head of family, regardless of age
Frequently the land Office finds cases
where the rancher or homesteader will
cause his elder child, still not of age,
to adopt one of the younger children
of the family and thereupon enter q
homestead on an adjacent, desirable
piece of land. BY this manner of ju-
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

highways ana authority is vested in
boards of county commissioners to
fence these roads. The commissioners
are controlled by the cattlemen and are
induced to declare some township line
a public highway and order 1t fenced.
even though this may not be the pro-
cedure best destined to serve the pub
lie convenience. The highways may
be laid out so as to inclose large areas
Of government land ready fenced for
the cattlemen, yet in such a way that
they can disclaim all responsibility.
This particular fraud is difficult for the
government agent to reach, because it
includes an imputation of corruption
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
Desert Land Entries

The desert land act Is a favorite
statute for fraudulent land entries at
present and furnishes some of the most
amusing instances of unlawful acquisi-
ton Citizens may make desert land
entry not to exceed $50 acres. securing
title upon proof that they. have water
sufficient to irrigate all the land; that
they have conducted water over all of
1t; that they have actually cultivated
an eighth of 1t, and upon the payment
of S1.25 per acre to the government
and having expended SO an acre in rec-
lamation. The devices for fraudulently
securing land under this act are null
titudinous. In most Of the remaining
public land areas the amount OF desert
land is greatly out of proportion to the
amount OF water available for its rec
lamation Ordinarily there will be q
small stream with water enough to ir-
rigate from to 8 per cent of the land
within its general basin. Stockmen
will acquire the small amount of ac-
tua1 water which is called a water
right Then an employe of the stock
men will make a desert entry and the
company will sell the water right to
the claimant who Will show It's owner
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
Fraudulent Homestead Entries

To be entitled to enter a homestead
one must be the head OF family
or single person over 21 years of
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

e,,tryman or the money lender and
obtain an admission that the entry
was originally made for purposes OF
speculation. The conspiracy, the intent
to defraud must be proven. and there
is little means of establishing this
proof save through the men who have
profited by it. and naturally these are
as silent as the tomb. II, as a matter
Of fact, the person made the entry
without any understanding that IL
should be turned over to any one else
and actually executed the mortgage In
good faith, the entry is in no way
fraudulent.
The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17
The. Money Loaning Dodge

The great lumber and cattle interests
take unto themselves every year great
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-05-21

whose influence Is 10 bring better
citizenship into the murky atmosphcrcs
OF tile local slums.
Far reaching indeed may be- tho in
fiuence fostered in Froebols charming
child garden; and far reaching too are
the ideals uursed by those who have
this important Institution Boz charge.
There are many homes where both pare
cnts are forced To- work for Hvliaoud
and because Of this the children are
left to such hazardous care ass may bo
picked up about the neighborhood. It
is the hope OF the Kindergarten as
ISOLATION 90 furnish "a day nursery 20
be run in connection with the kinder
garten. whore the children OF poor par
cnts may find efficient care f1r the duv.
thus giving the parents opportunity to
go about their work without danger to
their families, otherwise left unguard-
cd az home. To do ail this requires
money and with the many public char
tiles operating ln the CITY 10 is diff
tcuit TO devise means for meeting these
needs In the generous proposition
made by Mr. Bclasco for the charity
performance Of St Elmo next week
whose Tuesday night production BIS %
benefit the Free Kindergarten. % b.
hoped TO procure money enough 10 put
some Of the benevolent schemes into
practical operation. A number of
tickets have already been sold. and the
evening promises 10 aid in matcriaiiz4-
ton N some Of the fair hopcs enter
tanned for the little ones.
Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-05-21
A St. Elmo Beneficence.

In a little cottage over on tho west
side, "a group OF children tutored by
the sympathetic and clever young
teachers provided by the Free Kinder
sarten association. meet on mornings
or six week days. and go through the
pi'tty regime of plays, studies and
manners ordered and differed by their
patrons
Ihese hldrcn are for the most part
from homes whore gracious and ben
lhceht influences and privileges have
no part They come sometimes UNI
c"mbcd. unkcmpt and clothed In such
poor garments as hard working and
poverty Hfilictod parents can provide.
SUI There, in the little room sitting
Iteraiy at the feet OF gracious and
kindly instructors they are initiated
INTO the finer thoughts and ideals
thnWn O. cultured people and have
faculties Keen often to startling de-
gree trained 90 useful practlsos rather
lnan tu the demoralzing ones too often
'nH'Wng loose espionage about tire
streets
Things learned az the little school are
carried. too. into the poor homes. par
'hts near for the first time rlnyhap.
lhihs- never otherwise 10 reach their
ears iu the narrow confines Of shop or
hpmelF house-tasks. and these shrcds
or knowledge. brought into practical
use ~ forlorn homesare the seed some
'i'hos Of changed environment.