Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07
Story Of an Idaho Carey Act Project
By A. L. Gilmore, a Victim


or to ascertain the number of bona
fide settlers on the land under survey.
He informed the settlers that they
were perfectly safe in maintaining
their rights as homesteaders and would
eventually win out even though the
Carey act people were resorting to
any means to Gust them.
He also informed them of the altered
applications and said 1t was very evil
dent they had been changed for a pur-
pose and expressed great surprise when
told that they had been falsely certified
to. He said there had been a violation
of the land laws and that the matter
, would be investigated.
| Accordingly the following spring a
man was sent by the land office to In
vestigate Instead Of going to the set
tiers for Information he went to Arco,
had talk with the said United States
Commissioner and perhaps some others,
wrote to the land office that he had in
vestigated the matter; that he found
there had been some little misunder-
standing on the part of one or two
settlers: that It had been satisfactorily
adjusted: that he had made careful in
ouiry in regard to the said commits
sioner and found that he stood high
in the estimation of his fellow towns
men; and he therefore recommended
that the matter be closed. This had the
desired effect for a time, but the thiAg
wouldn't stay down.
The following September nnothey
special agent was sent out to investi-
gate. He went to the settlers direct
and secured the facts in the matter
In a short time the United States com
missioner at Arco was removed from
office and the following spring was in
dicted for false certihcation by the
federal grand Jury at Pocatello. The
next October he was given small fint
by the district court. sitting at Pc.
catello, and the case closed.
The September Farce.
Let US return to the drawing a,
Arco, Sept 1, 1910 Let US notice care.
fully how the settlers rights were PRO.
tected;' how everything was done
openly and fairly in the interests o.
the settlers as Mr.. Woods had assured
them 1t would be.
u In the first place. what need wa,
there for drawing? All the settlerl
that had relinquished were promised
a Carey act contract upon the identica
land they already occupied, so wha:
was there for them to drawn
But they told us that the law required
that all Carey projects be opened will
, a drawihg-and the law must be com
piled with.
Think of i'll A man with $1,000 wortl
I of improvements on t1is land, plungini
into game of chance with as muol
| likelihood Of drawing his neighbor'
/ home, or. tract of barren desert a.
, his own improved place! 1t 10 to,
foolish TO contemplate
II But notice. closely, how Il was done
1t was announced just before the draw
, ing, that those who had rehnquishe,
) would be given a preference right o
! 80 days in which to file; hence It woul
| not be necessary for them to go int
, the drawing; and OF course, contrao
r would be issued to them at any tim
, within 80 days for the land they al
) ready occupied.
!, Now. as all had relinquished tina
1 were intending to go into the Care
act, and they were not required to en-
r ter the drawing. yet 1t was necessary
irrevocably necessary. that the projec
8 be opened with q drawing; the quer
Q arises, who was going to do tho draw
Z ing? That was all pre-arranged;
I Carey act promoter can always fin
:. men for every purpose. oven II he ha
j, to use straw" men.
1 AS already stated. there were q 70,
/, (eisht or nine) settlers on the unsur
veyed land, and as they had no filing
on their land they had nothing TO re
$ linquish; and. too, they were oppose
n to going into the Carey act. SO Their
I must be some way devised whereof
d they would be compelled TO come IL
/ In you can't be persuaded, eoaxsd o
d bribed into q Carey act you must
: forced in.
g That Is the principle upon whic
q Carey act promoters and the state Ian
r board operated.
d So they informed those settlers liv
: ing upon the unsurveyed land that the
q would be required to enter the draw
: ing" or forfeit all they possessed: this
: they could not hold the land they ha
n improved and lived upon for the pas
y year and a half. as homestead. bu
l. would have to take chance at II
Q the drawing.
8 Land Board Calls Settlers Trsspasser
a After this lie had been announced,
y certain member OF the land board wa
n called upon TO corroborate II. This h
n readily did. He told those dust be
d grimed discouraged. disheartened, dif
" appointed. doubly deceived settlers this
% 1t was impossible for them to hold the
Is land as homesteads: that they wei
d. simply trespassers; that they had r
il rights upon their land at all. Thin
d of II! Those hard working men WI
had given up comfortable homes else
where to come here and spend the
time. money and energy in transform
" ing the desert into a fruitful field an
lie helping to build up great common
rs wealth, trespassersl Felons. he migl
n just as we'll have called them.
y Thus coerced and inundated. b,
10 lieving what was told them to be Il
lr truth: and, for fear OF loosing all ths
sr possessed. those present took part
lie the farce.
10 Now what was this certain memb,