The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-03-10

1t II impossible to frame any law |
In such language that it will definitely |
cover any case which may arise under |
It. There are always cases coming up |
which ARE hard to decide. Those who !
have charge Of the administration OF
laws must constantly 60 back and
study the history Of certain laws In
order to ind out as nearly as possible
Just what the .s~ makers intentions
were so that they E'ay know how to
sGminister those laws justly and In
accordance with .hc purpose Of the
Legislators, 80 far AS may be possible.
And those who are trying to comply
with certain laws should understand
the purpose and intert OF those laws.
in order that they may comply with
the spirit as well as the letter Of the
law, for without knowing anything
about the purpose & the law one
might put wrong meaning upon the
language used, and fail to. do the
things required. For this reason 1t
is necessary that every homesteader
should know what tie lawmakers were
trying to accomplish when they passed
the homestead laws.
Prior to our present system OF home
stead laws the government considered
the public lands rs mere or less VAL
liable property which could be sold for
cash or given in exchange for services
rendered. and large blocks Of our best
land were disposed o. for very small
considerations. later, the lawmakers
began to realize that the public lands
could be disposed OF in such a manner
as to build up the nation aud increase
its strength and iycductiveness, ard
this idea has been the basis Of our
present public land system.
Instead of selling the land for SO
much pea acre. az had been the FIR
mer custom. our lawmakers conceived
the idea of giving the land in small
blocks to actual settlers who would
settle it and makes homes on it. be-
cause it is better to have the country
settled up by independent freeholdcrs
than tc let the l"nd pass into the
hands Of wealthy landlords. Congress
did not pass the homestead laws IN, cr-
der tog I've away the public lands 1t
never was intended charity. Those
who think that the homestead laws
were passed in ..der TO donate some
of the nations Wealth to individuals
have not graspea ,ha spirit of the
homestead laws. ara they are the peo-
pie who complain SO loudly about the
unjustness Of these laws which require
them to earn their land before they
can get Il patent. Tl,re is no charity
about the homestead laws 1t is a
business transa ion hv which hte gov
eminent seeks to exchange the title
10 its land fer certain development Ct
&c
The United States rather than for the
Individual good nf the homesteader
1t will be note that only certain pee
rle are allowed to take up honlesteads
IL IL man owns more than 100 acres OF
land it is considered that he would not
be interested in taking another piece
Of land and developing it, SO he is de-
barred from making homestead en-
try man who is not citizen of
the United States and who has not de-
elared his intention to become such.
cannot take up land. because the gov
eminent does not care TO populate ita
lands with aliens y no do not intend
to become citizens.
The purpose Of tee law is to get a
good American family permanently To-
Gated on each homestead entry, and
makes application for entry under the
homestead laws such person must
have certain qualifications and must
make affidavit that the land is being
taken for the purpose of making it a
permanent home md not for the BEN
gift of any other pre:cn. The law also
requires that the eHtryman shall move
on to the land within certain length
nf time. and shall reside on the land
to certain extent and shall cultivate
and improve it u Il certain extent. end
shall have a habitatle house upon It
Eefore patent will! he issued.
The reason for all these require
ments is not to discourage the entry
man, nor to make iife burden to
him. but to assnr. the government
that the purpose ci the law is being
obtained. because the "ntryman who
honestly takes the land for the rur-
pose of making II his home and who
them does all that tho land requires Of
him in absolute good faith. will be
very art TO make that land his per-
manent home. and Ii. will b. one CT
the kind Of citizens that huild up the
country and make the United States
the best country on earth.