The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-08
New 32O-Acre Land Law a
Boost to Kansas.
Tt VIII Induce Settlers to the
Arid Sections.
AID THE SEVENTH DISTRICT
Greatest Benefit to Southwest
ern Part of State.
With Large Tracts Farmers
Can Raise Cattle Successfully.

Washington, March S.-The new
320-acre law, known as the Neeley
act, which has passed both branches
of congress, will greatly aid in the set
tlement of the arid sections of the
state of Kansas.
In explaining the measure Congress
man Medley said This bill is designed
to apply particularly to the Seventh
district of Kansas, although II may
apply to some small degree to the
Sixth district also. We have there, as
shown by the report of the secretary
of the interior, about $4,000 acres f
unentered land al this time, and in ad-
dition to that there are approximately
100000 acres known as the Kansas
National forest reserve, soon to be
thrown open to homestead entry
1.-The experience of the past twenty
five years has shown that it is impos-
sible for an average family to make a
living on $50 acres of this land. 1t
is the rejected land of the state. 1t is
either sandy, rough, full of soap weed,
or there is some other good reason
why Industrious husbandmen feel that
they can not make a living and sup
port themselves on a quarter section
of it, with the result that it has re-
manned idle and wild all these years,
and will continue to be unproductive
unless congress enaCtS such legisla-
ton as the bill proposed
Make 1t Attractive.
1.-The people who live on the entered
or decided lands in the neighborhood
of these vacant lands feel that If con-
greSS would amend the law so that the
entryman could file on a half section
instead or a quarter section that this
would result in attracting persons OF
thrift from other sections of the coun-
try who could, by growing dry-land
crops adapted to that section and by
raising cattle, make a sort of dairy
country out of it and bring 1t to con-
dition where it will be entirely self
nv 81
home owners
This land is now nontaxable and by
reason of this fact it imposes an added
burden upon those counties within
which the land is located. Most of
these counties are sparSely populated,
generally having from 700 to 500
people and running from this up to
1900 or 1000 population, and in only
one or two instances exceeding these
figures; so that you can readily see
that this is a matter of no small con-
Germ to the interested persons"
Congressman Stafford asked how
much of this same character of land
had been settled on in 160-acre
tracts
Little Settled.
Mr. Medley said: practically none.
Unless the homesteader vas fortunate
enough to have sufficient means of his
own to enable him to purchase lands
he simply could not make a living on
a single quarter section, and the result
has been that this is the refuse of all
the public lands yet remaining in
Kansas and it is of such poor quality
that no one has felt justified in using
a homestead right and taking the
chances of being able to establish a
home there. On these lands there
have been practically no entries made
in recent years. 1t is altogether prob
able that there have been isolated in
stances where entries have been
made. but the part remaining is the
refuse after all that appeared to be
fit for homestead purposes had been
taken.
About two years ago President
Taft, just before the end of his term,
withdrew some 40 or so thousand
acres of the land embraced in this
same forest reserve and subjected it
to homestead entry. Owing to the
fact that it was one of the few re-
manning bodies of public land subject
to entry anywhere in the central por-
ton of the country, the opening was
extensively advertised in the newspa-
pers of Kansas and adjoining states
for many weeks, and a paper publish
ed near the land is my authority for
the statement that, notwithstanding
all this advertising. not a single
homestead entry had been made there
within the first three weeks succeed
ing the opening
A REMARKABLE FAMILY.