The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1916-03-04
P|TTMAKS LAND BILL
Senator Answers Attack Made
Upon the Measure By One
OfNevada's Newspapers
Washington, d. c., Feb. "a

Nevada to a few facts that are con-
tanned in the Congressional Record
embracing the debate upon my seven
million acre land grant bill to the
State of Nevada, which will COM
pletely answer the attack made upon
the bill by one of the newspapers of
the State, which is evidently endea-
voring to defeat the bill in the House
of Representatives.
Senator Poindexter. who offered
an amendment reducing the grant
to three million acres and thereafter
a second amendment reducing the
grant to four million acres. found no
fault with the bill otherwise, and did
not suggest any amendments that
would further safeguard the land
grant from acquisition by a few
people.
Senator LaFollette voted against
both of Senator Poindexter'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 me with regard to the bill, voted
against the Poindexter amendments
and the LaFollette amendments, and
voted for the bill.
Senator LaFollette's amendment
to place a minimum price of three
dollars an acre upon the land. which
was voted on Immediately before the
final passage of the bill, was defeated
by a vote of forty-seven to thirty
three. After the defeat of this
amendment the bill was carried on
vivi voce vote with only one voting in
the negative.
No corporation, association or in
dividual could acquire two million
acres or any amount greater than
$40 acres except through fraud.
The bill limits the acquisition of
the lands to $40 acres and to citizen
of the United States. If an attempt
is made to acquire more than one
tract through agents of dummies,
such acquisitions are void and will
be set aside. The same provision
applies to coal interests. stone and
timber interests, to homestead and
desert-land entries. The same charac-
ter of fraud might be perpetrated
with regard to these entries, and no
doubt in few cases has been. but
the punishment of such frauds have
been so great in recent years that 1T
is improbable toattempt such frauds.
The last great fraud of this kind at
tempted was in the coal fields of
Alaska. and all of such entries were
set aside and many of the perpetrat-
ors of the fraud were criminally
prosecuted.
My bill has other additional safe
guards. 1t provides that each tract
must be appraised before it can be
sold, and that then it shall not be
sold for less 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 citizen who has not at prior
time availed himself of the benefits
of the Act. This procedure gives
ample opportunity to investigate the
good faith of every application to
purchase and to protect against any
fraud. These are restrictions and
precautions placed in the bill by Cong
ress. The Legislature of the State
of Nevada may throw any additional
precautions upon the transaction
that it sees fit.
Iwould not consider the newspaper