The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1914-05-22
WANT PATENTS
ISSUED PROMPTLY

has adopted some resolutions
which go directly to the gist of
all the trouble which the home
steader usually encounters in Sc
curing patent to his land. Only
that where the free homesteader
has to wait six months for a pat
ent, those who came to the Flat
head and took up the land are
being asked to wait for 20 years
or more. That is not all the
homesteader had to do either,
as they have bought and paid
for the land besides. Some of
them are asked to pay as high as
$50 per acre and none less than
S1.25 per acre.
If the commercial bodies of the
state would come to the front
and resolve as emphatically
against this injustice as they
have been doing about a six
months wait for a patent in or
dinary cases, we might receive
some benefit therefrom also.
Our senators and representatives
should come awake to the gray
ity of the situation on the Flat
head, and it will not be any diff
ferent on the Fort Peck and
other Indian reservations which
have been and are to be opened
up, and they will be asking for
the same relief the people here
are today.
The great trouble is that the
bureau chiefs in Washington who
pass on the proofs in land cases
are all firmly of the opinion that
every man who has fled on a
homestead has stolen just that
much Of Uncle Sans land. If
they will take the time and go to
the trouble Of trying it out just
once, they will very quickly dis
cover that about every one of
those who have taken up land
have lost money in the trans
action. This is not an exagger-
alton. The resolutions passed
by the Helena club are as fol-
lows:
Whereas: Thousands of our
best citizens are taking advan-
tage of our homestead laws each
year, and are assisting materially
in the development and prosper
lty of our country; and,
Whereas: 1t has been dem
onstrated that the Registers
final certificate issued after final
proof, has utterly failed to SUBJ
serve the purpose for which it
was intended; and,
Whereas: The great majority
of our homesteaders are, in good
faith, complying with the spirit
and letter of our homestead laws
and are entitled, after making
final proof in compliance with
the strict rules and regulations
of the Interior department, to
such evidence of a title that will
be of some value to them; and,
Whereas: 1t is at least six
months, and often longer, be-
fore patent can be issued, and in
the meantime the homesteader
is put to great inconvenience and
hardship, as the large majority
of our homesteaders are of small
means and require financial as
sistance to tide them over until
their farm is put on a paying
basis; and,
Whereas: Rumors of prompt
acquisition of title in Canada,
added to fear of unnecessary de-
lay in receiving their hard earned
patent in our country, have and
are now driving large numbers
of our intending homesteaders to
become subjects of Great Brit
ian:
Now, therefore: We, the
members Of the Helena CONNER
cial club Of Montana, in meeting
assembled, do petition and re- {
solve as follows:
That we respectfully call the
attention of the Honorable Frank
lin K. Land, Secretary of the In
terror, and the Honorable Clay
Tallman, Commissioner of the