Omaha daily bee., 1911-02-19

Million and a HaiI ksrtiis Acres Re-
stoned to Settlement.
rALE OF A GAlAr CONSPIRACY
Effort Of eraEers 70 GObble All tns
Great American Desert
sTDEIIGHTs On lHE SITUATION
sprrina Gaverauent Counsel AuNh
Gtvrs soss~ Int-rsstinE tnfnruaa-
tIaa Caac~~ninE the WsrH
W- Haa urrn nrfnH.

one ~ thr rssuits cf IRE persistent
prosecutions Of the cattisucn who haTe
maiutained merai fences on pubiir donain
N So orasta has been the restoration =
nsss " nNricultsfre % more thHn iaeess
fertile acres To IL also trns that IN the
section where these iHnds arr located Ne
hraska made its only sruurh. outside % the
large cities during ire last decade These
facts are made clear b. Sylvester r. RUSH
who has been empinved by the government
aa special counsel To book after the prusecti-
don OF these land cases. In talking of ms
work one dav recently Mr. Rash said
..rhn tcrritorv Comprised In ihs counties
west of the iooih meridian IN thIn state.
which crosses the state NORTH and south
about sirht3-fire miles west of Grand
island and thirf- nve miles east ~ North
Platte hss been perssEtsnflv ciasssd ~ q
psrt Of the Crest American Desert, ane
wholly unfit for agricultural purposes
General Hazen said NJ these lands. with
other lands of she Great AnlsricsH Desert
In his report of 1870 The early mapa con-
anmned a. for the most part an arid
desert. and thu adventurous Traveller who
wandered beyond the iine Of civilizations.
was warned that even shufid he MOI en-
cuunser the savage indiana, hunger and
thirst and death accompanied his every
step. And ever since that classification
vas made the change has been continually
rsInE on bad lands. SANDY plains, sand
hills wasted deserts. etc until IN 1873
and ieao. congress appointed q COMMITTEES 10
take testimony on she adviEahility of con-
demninE these lands and selling them to
the highest bidder The great graEinE In
tsrests that al that time had taken posses
sion of them. gave iurid testimony that
these lands were unfit for any other pur-
pose save grazinE. and should be- devoted
exclusively % that end. The then governor
/ ef Nebraska objected to this disposition Of
these lands. and appoinnted two scientific
gentlemen TO iuTssiiRafc this proposed sale.
ard they reported, in 1879 and Is1o. ~ fol-
lows. The annihilation therefore Of
saa noa.aes 20 Naaeaeag acres cf these vasf
( fertile acres that are surely changing theit
dfy character 20 answer the farmers var
ious uses and dernands-and by law. mann
I ing them az vast paannss cnmulons.
uhen they could IN the rear futura. ae
fruitful sarna-fhIs Nond be a fearful ron.
berry and those Eho are cnnspirators In tire
attempt should receive public execrAfion.
This policy which ia now proposed ard
whirh would stop the operation Of ths
present Iana laws which have been per-
feeted by three-fourths OF a century a.
agitation a-d Iesislation. would be IN ths
interest ~ the few against the many
IN she fni est Of capital AGAINST the tniIlns
millions. The success uf tnis project would
be crime against society and caiamitous
TO as a. q state
Whas "a Means - NebrasEa.
The scheme 10 auction Off these lands
uas defeated and the srruEEIe for the pos
session and eunfrol o. them has been roing
on wiih var'inE intensity even slnce. The