Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-06-27
WANTS FAIR DESCRIPTION.
Government Men, in Oregon Declared
DiSCourteouS.

Declaring that he has formed a
strong attachment for Oregon and
that he would have located here long
ago had it not been for the discour-
teous treatment received at the
hands of the government employees
when making inquiries regarding the
land to be taken up by settlers, Alban
c. Lee, contractor of Pasadena,
Cal, writes to Governor West in
hopes of gaining some enlightening
information as to the character of
Oregon soil and that which is open
to settlement. He also offers some
good reasons why United States agri-
culturists are leaving for Canada
His letter is as follows:
Il noticedsln a recent issue of one
of the Los Angeles daily papers that
two or three of the northwestern gov
ernors, yourself among them, are
deeply concerned about ways and
means to prevent the better class of
farmers from going into the Cana
dian northwest for land, instead of
taking land in the northwest of our
own country.
1T may be or seem to be presump-
tuous for me to write to you in this
way, as | know very we'll your time
is valuable, but in the light of my
own personal experience along this
line | have presumed to write you,
and if you can give me or any one
else more light on the subject, some
good may come of it for the state of
Oregon, for which | have a strong
attachment and to which | am, with
at least a dozen of my friends, think
ing very strongly of going.
Our only hesitation is that the
present laws of the government land
office are such that the intending
settler gets very little consideration
at the hands of the government en-
ployes. | have made three trips to
the northwest, looking for land, and
in each instance have had so little
consideration, and in two cases even
discourtesy, when asking for infor-
nation with regard to land and loca-
tions that it was discouraging.
The very first question invariably
brings the retort that the govern
ment office is not to tell the nature
of the land in the location, but to
see some of the land locators. This
is not as it should be.
AS an intending settler wanting
land in the Canadian territory, when
he asks for such information the gov
ernment has man there that can
tell the nature of the soil and can
tell where there is land, and will GO
with the party and show him the land
free of cost to the settler.
This is one of the main reasons
why so many go to Canada.
The time limit had much to do
with it also, but that is being adjust
ed now by our government and will
be as liberal as any.
Il, being a native of the state of
! Illinois and a direct descendant of
! Thomas Lee, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, feel
very much opposed to settling under
some other flag, nor do | like to be
turned over to land locator, gener-
ally scoundrel, by our own govern
ment employe when asking for in
formation on matters that pertain to
and are necessary to the intending
locator.
TO be asked to pay one dollar
per acre to a locator, and then per-
haps find when it is too late that the
locator has not shown you the right
section at all, is very distasteful to
} honest settlers and will always keep
hundreds of our best men from try
ing to get our lands.
Thanking you kindly in advance
for any Information you feel willing
to give, and also for the valuable
time taken by you to consider the
views as | see them, | am"
Governor West will refer the let
ter to the state engineer, with in
structions that the Californian be
fully advised as to what opportuni-
ties are available in Oregon for the
prospective settler.