The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-01
THE TooELE LAND JoBBERY.


down. The attempt of the Federal
bunch organ yesterday morning to
place it on political lines and TO show
that American party men were chiefly
benefciaries in that jobbery, is too
thin to wash. But that was the first
attempt that we have seen to place the
matter distinctly on political lines, and
it is wholly absurd. No American party
man is in the confidence of the politi-
cal powers that be; and if the matter
is to take political turn, it will have
to turn upon the malodorous Federal
bunch, as other vicious things have
turned in the past,
1t is claimed that under the en-
larged homestead act. so.caled. no no.
tice is necessary in the opening of such
land. But the original idea of this
enlarged homestead act was that those
who had taken up homesteads on the
public domain, and who were not able
to make a living from the restricted
homestead area as Heretofore Limited,
were under this enlarged homestead act
allowed TO add to their holdings a suf
ficient area of arid land to enable them
to have grazing for their stock con-
venent TO their homestcads. But those
who took up this Toocle land have NO
homesteads in the vicinity of the land
so taken. In fact. they arc not home
steaders Mt all, They simply take up
the land for speculative purposes, be-
ing city c~ei,ers for the most part,
and having not the least intention of
making homesteads upon public lands
And this perversion of the avowed in
tent Of the law adds to the odium of
the whole transaction.
1t NAV be true, as would perhaps be
contenC.d, that the intent Of the act
to allow homcstcaders TO take up land,
either contiguous or convenient to their
| homesteads, did not contemplate the
giving of public notice of such entries,
nor that such public notice was neces
sary. But in order to have this rea-
soning of any force, it would be neces-
sary to confne the act TO its declared
purpose; that is, to the enlarging of
homesteads already filed upon and ocs
cupied And with respect to the resi-
dence required of homcsteaders, Of
course, that was waived in this new en-
Iargcd homestead legislation; because
the homesteader is obliged to live on
his original homestead entry, and can
| not live upon both.
With the law confined TO its ex-
planned purpose, and to its evident in.
tent, there would be no possibility of a
speculative rush, such as was made on
last Saturday morning in the taking
Of these Tooelc lands. No "snap''
would be possible in such case. No
payment for inside information would
be either advantageous or needed. In
fact, confning the act to It's explained
intent there would be no opportunity
whatever for any speculation In admin
istering it, nor for underhand pro
cedure of any kind.
1t is plain. therefore, that the game
pulled of here on last Saturday morn.
ing was not only a dirty piece Of Job.
berry in itself, but its working out was
a clear perversion of the true intent
ana meaning or the law. If we had n
high spirited delegation in Congress
the members of it would not rest for a
day under the suspicion that this job
has been thrown upon them; but they
would make the demand at once them.
selves. and peremptorily, for an inves
tigation that would absolutely clear
their skirts,