The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-10-08

congress, untangling the present
land controversies in states, vest
ing in them the power to admin
lister their own affairs. This is
the important message that Geo.
A. Day, state land commissioner,
brought home with him from
Washington following a confer
ence with Secretary Lane, who,
he says, manifested TO him the
genuine western spirit in the
treatment of land matters in-sO-
far as state rights are concerned.
For years there has waged in
all western states the question of
federal and state jurisdiction
over possession of school land
sections is and SO in every town
ship in each of the western states.
The enabling acts creating these
states granted them these Sec
ltions, unsurveyed then in most
instances. Since then many of
the sections have been surveyed
and patent issued the states by
the government. There are yet,
howevr, in all wstern states many
OF the sections unsurVeyed. The
grant to Idaho consisted of g.
600, 900 acres, 100000 of which
is surveyed. OF the other H.
600, 200 approximately 100000
acres is tied up because the gov
ernment has delayed issuing pa
tent to them.
Senator Weldon b. Hepburn,
now deceased, held while a MEM
Der of the United States senate,
! that Idaho and every other west
! ern state was entitled to the use
b. and benefit of all school sections
r rs and SO surveyed or unsurvey-
- ed wherever located. This the
e ory the government has never
h adopted. Owing to the fact that
many OF these sections were iso-
d lated or so located in mountain
S Gus regions as to be Of small use
Il or benefit to this state, an agree
d. ment was reached with the gov
;. ernment by which lieu land sec
T ton with the school sections as
r the base of selection, could be
f taken by the state in localities
It more accessible.
- These transfers progressed and
IGahO came into possession as a
result of some very valuable dry
farm lands, until recently when
I'm, d.
land departments at Washington
n as to the legality of the govern
ment giving states preferential
right to public domain. The re-
= suit has been the tieing up Of pa
III tents to many thousand acres o.
le land, blocking the settlement O
IL many western states, or, in othel
! words, building a wall abou
= them retarding their develop
a' ment.
1t was this situation that Stat
Land Commissioner Day place
-, squarely before Secretary Ian
~ and other department heads an
= their assistants. He was re
aI warded by a promise from Sec
"a retary Lane that the matter wOul
- be remedied and western state
bo would be given jurisdiction {
nd their lands, and the governmeI
ana its departments would shi
% the responsibility for them to I'll
states. 1t was agreed that bi
seeking to straighten out all
the difficulties will be drafte
satisfactory to western states, al
placed in the hands of the ne
al congress. The terms of this b
~ will legalize all former exchang
of land by western states wi
OF the government. 1t will leagali
Ia lieu land selections where stat
-ah have used unsurveyed sections
air and SO as base to select lieu Ian
ad- in their place. To comply wi
lily the terms of the proposed fede
81 al act western states will b r
ee- quired to amend their respecti
nal constitutions and statutes to co
by form with it.