The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1917-02-08
No Fraud in Filings.


Secretary Lanes announcement ash
contained In recent kilograms to the
erect that he will hold up the 640-acreI
homestead law indefinitely pending in
vestigation of complaints that the va
can't lands were being gobbled up by
tbe big stockmen, certainly reveals the
fact that gsome body has Numbered.
when the new law went into effect
there was a grand rush to file, and to-
date the government has taken In hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, to say
nothing of the clean up in filing fees
raked in by the local commissioners.
Now after the matter has been car
ried thus far the honorable secretary
Of the interior announces that he will
forestall the proposition by withhold
ing classification Of these lands until
investigations can be made of the com
plaints, and If true will fling the sit
nation back in the face of congress
for some kind of reimbursement But
suppose, after the secretary has cfys-
tailized his program the lands revert
back to the government, what Is he
going to do about IT. Any man who is
conyersant with the character of the
vacant grazing lands of the west
knows well enough that no homestead
err could live ON one, no matter If his
claim consisted of a thousand acres
The water and pillow ground was most
ly taken up years ago, and it is i'm
possible for either man or beast to
subsist on dry bunch grass or sage
brush. If the government had grant
ed a homesteader the-right in the first
place to file on $40 acres when he
could have secured water and agricul-
tural soil, he could have kept his claim
and made him a home; now, however,
there is absolutely nothing for a man
to do but sell out when he has proved
up So far as Salmon river country
Is concerned we do not believe that
fraud has been practiced here, the
majority of those who filed being bona
fide entrymen. If a sheep herder files
on a $40 acre homestead here with a
view to selling out to stockman when
he receives his title; take the money
and buy him a place where he can
make living for his family, where
does the fraud come in at
Not every man can stock a ranch
with sheep or cattle, or comply with
the requirements of the government
without some capital
Fire Takes Newman Home.
The cottage Of Mr.. and Mrs. w. A.
Newman was completely destroyed by
fire Friday evening while members OF
the family were absent attending re
y1val services at the Methodist church
The fire which was of purely accident
al origin, started when Mrs. Robert
Wolf an occupant Of the house mad
vertantly tipped over a kerosene stove
containing gallon of coal oil. Mrs
Wolf was Just in the act of retiring
Tor the night when the mishap oc
CURED, and barely had time to escape
from the building. So rapidly did the
names spread that only few moment.
elapsed before the structure became q
roaring blaze, and a crowd Of neigh
DORIS who responded to the alarm
found 1t impossible TO approach thu
building and carry out the furniture
me mournful twitter of beautiful
canary bird, confined In a cage neal
the front room window could be heart
above the roar Of the blaze, but tn,
ieathered creature could not be res
cued. A bucket brigade was hastil,
organized, and by heroic work succeed
60 In dashing sufficient water on tn
cellar standing near the house to saw
II For time the barn Of Jak
Vrooks'. and the dwelling house of MI