The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-28

can live without water Peach's affi-
davit showed that he bored three
wells 10 considerable depth and helped
others dig eight wells on pieces Of
land adjoining his entry, all of which
are dry. affording no water.
In the view of the department there
could have been no intelligent exer-
else Of the right of homestead entry
under such circumstances, nor could
the entire absence of water under the
land be known without experiment
before time of entry. This appears,
from a long line Of decisions of the
land department prior to the erro-
neous construction OF the act referred
to, to be good cause for abandoning
the entry and for holding such an
entry no exercise Of the homestead
right.
There has probably never been an
administration so devoted to common
sense in the administration of the
public land laws as the present. The
general landofflce is bound to act un-
der the decisions of the department,
and when wrong is perpetrated by
this general office 1t Is almost invari-
ably backed by departmental decis-
ions which IL erroneous only the de-
partment can change.
No one need have any fears that
Commissioner bennett will be smlrch-
| ed in any way by the Pinchot- Ballinger
investigation, or that it can be shown
that any one in the landoffice was
guilty OF any wrong doing In that con-
nection. The trouble with CLAWS
grew out of his exalted opinion OF
himself. He felt that the honor and
integrity of the whole department was
placed in his sole keeping, and that
IL he did not succeed in enlisting aid
/ of the forestry service and the depart
ment of justice, the COLLINS would gel
away with every thing worth having
There are other honest men in the
service; there are others quite as
efficient as Kid Claws thought him
self to be. His exalted egotism al
most took on the character of brain
storm.
More than 100000 acres of pub
lie land have been permanently occu-
pied under the homestead law. This
is an area greater than all of New
England and represents fully $4,000
100000 where land was granted to the
railroads the government recouped by
doubling the price of what IT retain
ed. 1t sold for $3.50 per acre where
sales were made, instead at $1.25. Be.
fore the homestead law was passed
it offered lands desired for settle
ment at s125 per acre, and then af-
ter a few years would reduce the
offered lands sometimes as low as ter
cents an acre. Syndicates would pici
them up and hold for speculation
Several of the states fooled away thei1
school lands, notably Iowa, at $1.2i
Il per acre and lost the proceeds fl
through bad investments. Oregon
used it's school lands as the basis o
most gigantic frauds, through it's sys
|, tenn of lieu selections. Fortunes hav,
been built up through investments IL
Timber lands, but the great bulk o
the agricultural lands went directl.
| into the hands of the honest settler
after the passage Of the HOMESTEAD
law.
Galusha A Grow, who was tn
/ father of the homestead law intro
duced the bill in five successive con
crosses. 1t was blocked by the demo
S Gratis in congress until the war brok
D out and it was then passed when h
S was speaker. The republicans in thos
! days were called in derision black re
t publicans because of their interest i
4 the suppression of slavery. When
e lot OF young fellows and old hadbeen
: thought themselves better than thei
t party they took on the name of liber