The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-03-03
STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE
REMOVAL FROM NATCHI-
TOCHES.
CONSOLIDATION DESIRED
By the Government but the Location Is
to Be Determined-Ba Rouge Sug-
gested.

On Tuesday night a mass meeting O
the citizens of the town and parish o.
Natchiteches was held at their cour
house at which the proposed remova
of the United States Land Office to New
Orleans or some other point was con
sidered. There was adopted a protest
against this action for which severa
substantial reasons are given.
The land office at Natchitoches is the
most conveniently located point for the
convenience of the public who desire to
homestead upon public lands. From the
report of the Department of the In
terror for the year ending July I, 1909,
it is shown that there are in the entire
State of Louisiana 88,o57 acres of public
land. Of this there is located in the
New Orleans district 3o8I3 acres, and
in the Natchitoches district 4oI44 acres.
The whole of this land is located in the
parishes adjoining the parish of Natchi-
toches, as follows: Bienville $500; Bos-
sier 684o; Caddo Io,837; Claiborne
8o57; DeSoto 1858; Grant 200; Natchi-
toches 4375; Rapides 100; Red River
zoo; Sabine 1926; Vernon 1924; Web
ster 31o; Winn 45o7. The government
has lately erected at Natchitoches fine
public building, which includes commo-
dious and convenient quarters for the
land Office The tract books, maps and
important data affecting the title to more
than million acres of land in the dis
trict are in this Office. They are of daily
use to the citizens throughout the dis
trict, and to transfer this Office to some.
other city would work great hardship
OH the public and entail heavy expense
to the citizens. We insist that it would
be unwise and unpolitic on the part of
the government to remove the United
States Land Office from Natchitoches,
and we hereby urge Senators McEnery
and Foster and Representative Watkins
and the other members of Congress
from this State to use every effort to
prevent its removal That copy of
these resolutions be furnished the State
newspapers and the newspaper of this
land district and the representatives and
senator's in Congress from this State"
II would seem that the feeling aroused
over this consolidation is not confined to
Natchitoches but from Washington D.
G., is the statement: There is turmoil
among four members of the Louisiana
delegation on account of the desire Of
Commissioner bennett of the General
Land Office to consolidate the New Or
leans and Natchitoches land offices. As
soon as Representative Gilmore comes
back TO Washington he will make fifth
hand in the affair. General Estopinal is
trying TO keep the New Orleans Office
where it is. Representative Watkins is
doing as much for Natchitoches, the
people of which hitherto have had an
idea that the talk of consolidating was
something akin to the cry Of wolf they
read about years and years ago.
Representative Pujo is bending every
effort to teach the officials of the In
terror Department to appreciate the
beauties of standing pat Neither the
nor the officials of that de-
partment are supposed to know much
about standing that way, at least they
are not supposed to know about the
of that technical term, but in
plain English Mr.. Pujo is anxious TO
have the officials adhere to their desire
to put the consolidated Office at Alex
andria.
Representative Wickliffe, believing
that the law should be obeyed, that is,
that the consolidation should be made,
is doing what he can to show that
Baton Rouge, considering accessibility,
is nearer the center of the public lands
than Alexandria He would do nothing
to rob the New Orleans or Minden con-
gressmen of anything they have in their
districts, but If the Interior Department
insists upon consolidation, he is willing
they shall kniw that Baton Rouge is
far better place to put it than At4xan-
dria.
In this connection Alexandria and
Baton Rouge are claiming recognition.
For Baton Rouge it is claimed that "the
land records of the State are at the
State capitol, and those of the surveyor
generals Office, formerly in New Or
leans, have beer turned over to the
State and are row kept in a spacious
and fire proof vault in the capitol build
ing The location of the consolidated
land office at Baton Rouge would place