La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1916-06-24
OUR HOMESTEAD LAW.
Continued from First Page

ment for the purpose will be back in
4 the treasury.
/ The bill after its introduction was
cussed and discussed. both in and
out of congress and its fate for a
/ long time was uncertain until the
tremendous influence OF the presi-
dent OF the United States was thrown
/ into the scale in its favor. and the
( bill on June II, 1909. became a law
Within the next three weeks after
| the passage OF the act the Secretary
OF the Interior with the able assist
ance OF the Director OF the Geology
cal Survey, and Frederick II Newell.
afterwards chief engineer and diree-
tor OF the reclamation service. had
organized the reclamation service
practically as IL exists today With
In three months the first contract
for the construction of the first pro-
jet was signed by the secretary. and
within three years to day the wa
ter was turned into the first COM
pieted canal and went laughing on
its way to the thirsty soil waiting TO
receive H. What that meant in the
way of hustle. from the Secretary OF
the Interior and the Chief Engineer
Of the Reclamation Service, down to
the last engineers aide. can be un-
derstood only by those connected
with the work. 4 corps OF English
engineers who examined the work
were almost Supplied with astouish-
ment at the rapidity with which Il
had been conceived and executed.
and declared that IL would have TIA
ken the English government ten
. years to duplicate the feat
T Since the United States started in
/ the public land business its assets
/ have Appropriated. in round num-
beers. 1850. 100000 acres. an area
greater than ten states the size OF
Z Texas. not including Texas On the
I LIST OF July. 1906. there remained in
round numbers. OF the unreserved
and unappropriated public domain.
approximately 1872. 900 0O acres. Of
which 35s 100000 were in the Dis
trict OF Alaska. use these figures
for comparison only. The total fig
ures are now much less.
OF the l2i 900 900 acres approx
maeely. of unreseryed and unappri-
public domain, then remaining in the
United States, by far the greater
portion lay in the states and terri
tories to which the Reclamation Act
applied, and much Of II was arid in
character Tn. engineers OF the
Reclamation Service have estimated
/, that there Is water enough In sight
TO reclaim approximately 10000
400 acres OF those arid lands
Nov listen' From the passage Of
the homestead Law IN is62 to July /.
1906. a period OF forty-four years,
there were patented Hereunder ap-
proximately 100. goo. 900 acres. the
major portion OF these patents were
issued, presumably, for the maximum
quantity allowed under the old
Homestead Law. namely. one hun
dred and sixty acres Many OF them.
however. were for less II they ay-
eraged 100 acres to the homestead.
II meant that l.0o0. 900 families, or
approximately 100000 people.
within the time named found homes
under the beneficent act. This rep
resents a population greater than
that of the American colonies when
they acquired their independence
from Great Britain.
Under tn. Reclamation Act. the
size of the farm unit that may be In
cluded In homestead entry OF re-
/ claimed lands, II Is hardly probable
Z that tn. farm unit viii exceed In
very many Instances eighty acres In
many eases It will not exceed forty.
and In many twenty acres. In those
ATTITUDES where IN. proposition l.
one OF ruit growing
I What the homestead Law has done
for the upbuilding OF the ives, In tn.
Z past. I, promises with the aid OF the
Reclamation Act to duplicate or es'
coed In tn. future when all OF the
arid lands that can be, ar. reclaimed
and divided into farm units of such
siz. as IN. needs Of family. judged
farming. may determine. II can b.
readily seen that, under the pro,i
sions of the homestead la~. they ~il
"a "a