The Alaska daily empire., 1921-04-20
SOLDIERS BONUS MEMORIAL MEETS TOUGH SHEDDING
Sinister Motives Back of Plan, Suspect Senators Who Amend Measure. PROTECT DEVELOPMENT Legislators Take Precautions To Prevent Speculations
 In Land.

! AItt1 Snoi dCpht' III thS oCiA ate this forenoon, the Memorial re- lGting to the Soldiers land bonus, passed as amended at the session yesterday, with Senator Frawley voting mo"
 At one stage of the debate this would fail of passage, as statements were made that by giving land to the soldiers the most available and best suited land for agricultural purposes would be taken first and then these would perhaps be held without improvement, retarding the actual growth of the Territory.
 Senator Collins stated that per haps lands along the railroad now being constructed to the Westward would be taken or lands adjacent to cities, suitable for homestead pur- poses would be filed upon, and no work toward improving them would be done. This would leave the real homesteader the task of developing and when the value of the land was enchanced by hard labor, the sold ! iers scrip land would be sold to others, who in turn might hold it. Senator Collins said he believed the memorial would put a blanket over the best lands of the interior and he stated he would rather a cash bonus was given and Congress to be so memorialized.
 l Senator Frawley was against the measure in any form. His stand was plainly indicated when the final vote was taken. Senator Frawley said the men who went to France lid not place a price upon their patriotism.
 Senator Hunt believed, like Sena- tor Collins, that the measure would retard development of the Territory
 The Memorial will now go back to the House and if the amend ments, as made by the Senate are not accepted, it will so into a con ference between the two houses
 Talk of sinister influences" con cealed purposes an attempt at wholesale land grabbing, or maybe a deep laid scheme to control some as yet unknown oil field, disturbed the stiffness of the Senate chamber yesterday afternoon when the Senate in Committee of the Whole took up for consideration House Joint Mem orial No B. better known as the Soldier Land Bonus memorial. When ;t T h, ln, I,1 committee and was reported back to the Senate without any recon mendation of any kind. the public domain, it was general conceded. was most effectively protected against raid by former service men.
 Amendments Adopted
 As passed by the House, the mem Orial asks Congress to provide for granting each eX-service person of Alaska title in fee simple to a home stead of 160 acres of Agricultural land" on the public domain '"and that no restrictions be imposed as to residence or improvements" In the report of the Senate Judiciary Com mittee on the memorial, it was rec commended that it be amended by striking out the clause asking non restriction and inserting a provision that all possible precautions be taken to require actual and bona fide settlement to be made upon the land so acquired and that said uand shall not be secured for speculative purposes" which it was admitted was intended 10 require persons who were entitled to the bonus to settle on the land
 Discussion Waxes Warm Supporting the proposed amend ment. Mir. Frawley declared that he did not like the tone in which the memorial was drawn and asserted that he could see under it g chance for land grabbing of Alaska best | faI ming sections on a wholesale scale. He said the amendment was drawn for the purpose of preventing some corporation or designing per sons from being able to indulge il land grabbing orgy. If ConGres. saw fit to enact legislation to cover the reauest il would do it in sucl manner that ex-service men could not speculatively dispost of 1t.
 Hunt Questions Motivev~
 Mir. Hunt declared that in hi