The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1916-03-01

4 iGentlemen.
4 Permit ME through the columns
Of your paper to call the attention
/ of the people of Nevada to a few
facts that ere contained in the Con-
/ gressional Record embracing the de
late upon nay seven million acre
}and grant bill to the State of Ne
! Vada which will completely answer
'the attack made upon the bill by
Z one Of the newspapers of the State,
;Fh4eR is evidently endeavoring to
siefeat the bill in the House of Rep
resentatiyes.
Senator Poindexter, who offered
an amendment reducing the grant
to three million acres and thereaf-
ter second amendment reducing
the grant to four million acres,
found no fault with the bill other
wise, and did not suggest any
amendments that would further
safeguard the land grant from ac-
QUESTION by few people.
Senator LaFollette voted against
both of Senator Poindetxer's amend
ments and finally voted for the bill.
Senator Jones of Washington
questioned me with regard to the
bill, voted against Senator Poindex-
ter's amendments and against Sena-
tor LaFollette's amendments, and
then voted for the bill
Senator Robinson, who is quoted
in the paper referred to as question
/ ing nae with regard to the bill, yot-
ed against the Poindexter amend
ments, aaG voted for the bill.
SezoteG LaFollette's amendment
to place a minimum price of three
doli@Ds' aqa. acre upon the land, which
was voted eA Immediately before the
faaJ Easaage of the bill, was de-
feateGi by a vote of forty-seven to
thirty After the defeat of
this amendment the bill was carried
4 O1 t NIfi NOeS Will Ohiy ohS Nobih =
in the negative.
Ne corporation, association or in
diyfdual could acquire two million
acres or any amount greater than
CAS- acres except through fraud
The bill limits the acquisition oi
the binds to $40 acres and to a cit.
izen Of the United States. If an at
tempt is made to acquire more than
one tract through agents or dunn
mics, such acquisitions are void and
will be set aside. The same provis-
ion applies 30 coal interests, stone
and timber iHterests, to homestead
and dsseet-laHd entries. The same
characta, OF fraed might be prepe-
trataG with regard to these entries,
and no sssubt in a few cases has
beea. b9t tire punishment of csuch
frauds hasws been so great in recent
years t&as d is Improbable to at
temg& saeh frauds The last great
fraud az ts is kind attempted was in
the coed Sel5G of Alaska, and all of
sues eRtrias we're set aside and
maRy s8 tsS perpetrators of the
fraua vsaps sriminally prosecuted.
My bid has other additional safe
guards. II provides that each tract
must be appraised before it can be
sold. aRG that then it shall not be
sold foz lss8 than the appraised val
ue. 1t ALSO provides that after the
appraisal the particular tract shall
be put up to public auction and no
tice given of the sale. Under the
terms of the bill only citizens of the
United States could purchase, and
only a citizen who has not at a
prior time availed himself of the
benefits of the act This procedure
gives ample opportunity to investi-
gate the good faith of every appli-
cation TO. purchase and to protect
against any fraud. These are re-
striehons and precautions placed in
the bill by Congress. The legisla-
ture % The State of Nevada may
throy any additional precautions
upeA The transaction thatsit sees fit.
1 would NOT consider the news
nt.rep article referred to worthy OF
answer ifait were not for fear that
aaeoabers ~ the House of Represent
e.fres recefsing such article might
~ fnfluenesG by it, believing that ii
Ssxpressed the sentiment of the peo-
PIE of our state. 1t is sufficiently
ldiffieult TO obtain legislation for a
/ " ,.stern state without having one OF
the supposedly leading papers of the
State misrepresent the sentiments
of the. people of the State in the eff
+ fort to defeat a bill that admittedly
would be for the upbuilding of our
i University and our public schools
and the relief of our people from
taxation for such purposes.
Very truly yours,
KEY PITTMAN.
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