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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1903)
31 DlSAPPEAKAMeE OF PUBLIC BOMAIN LEGISLATION HAS ENABLED LAND GRABBERS TO STEAL WHAT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE THE , SUNDAY OEEGONIAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 22, 1903. TM ia tfee Srat of a scries of frre articles tejr J. D. YFholplejr, a weH kaom eerregpondeat rrho has mede pbUc hutds his Hfe atBdy. Pre ably M ether bcwstspct writr Is so well lafonned ea the subject. There wUI be a stroas; aaaveujcBt i& Ceagvees aartaR the prwest session to repeal r modify the present laad laws of the country. Mr. "Wnelpley Is aa ex pert on the question aad says that Seaator Illtchcock and members of the Committee on Public. Loads la both, bouses are heartily la sympathy frith the movement. h SINCE the United States went Into the public land business this Government has acquired for sale and disposal nearly 2,000.000,000 acres of land on this continent, exclusive of Alaska. This vast public domain reached from the eastern boundary of Ohio to Puget Sound, and from Florida to California. Beginning with a seacoapt of undefined limit, the United States has appropriated, bought and won by treaty this vast con tiguous territory. The 18 older states and Texas were allowed to retain Jurisdiction over the 500.000,000 acres within their boundaries, and more than 100,000,00!) acres ere now set aside In forest, Indian and other reservations. About 30,000,000 acres have, up to the present time, been sold or Eiven away. As a land broker the Government has played the part with easy generosity. It has been careless as to who Its customers wri- and sold to any who might apply at prices and on terms which have at tracted to this country millions of persons from all parts of the world. There are now less than 500,000,000 acres belonging to the Government. Ffom this area must be deducted great ranges of mountains, deserts and rough land which is not avail able for settlement. The estimates of ex perts as to how much of the remaining public domain is still available for home builders vary greatly, but it is conserva tive to say that there are now less than 109 000,000 acres upon which, even with GoM-nment aid and vast improvements, citizens can live permanently. Will Check Lmerality. If Congress agrees with the men who have been studying the question from a disinterested point of view, the easy liber ality of the yeare -gone by Is soon to be checked. The real purpose of the public domain has ever been to provide homes for the people. This has been defeated at various times by schemers and ignorant lawmakers, aided by the vastaess of the estate involved, but as the population in creases by millions each year the public domain shrinks relatively in size, and the point has now been reached when stock is to be taken, laws are to be carefully scru tinize and stricter administration Is to be enforced. For the last two years the amount of land alienated from public ownership has been unprecedented, even exceeding the 3 ears of the great rush of homeseckers in the SOs, when the agricultural emigration of the world was all coming to the United States. At the rate of 20,000,000 acres each j cat, the choicest land is being taken from the Government unaer one plea or another, and It Is not difficult to set a time when the thousands of homeseekers WO be forced back upon the area now In cluded within "private ownership and the public domain will no longer extend its marvellous welcome of the past to the cabin builders of the American people. The United States acquired the public lands by occupation, cession and purchase. About 260,000.000 acres, were acquired by cession and about 1,605,000,000 by purchase. The 1,100.000.000 acres which have been at tht disposal of the Government have cost directly, in actual cash, about $400,000,000. A large part of this money is the cost of surveying and administration, and the total does not express by many hundreds cf millions the real cost of 'this territory. as included In the expenses of the "War and other departments of the Government necessitated by this growing jurisdiction, on ivund numbers the Government has re ceived about W50.000.000 in cash for the land -sold. Thus it is that the present vacant public lands, now amounting to about 475,000,000 acres, represent a net actual cost of only about $50,000,000. Cost of the Land. The Government has paid about 20 cents an acre for all the land It'owns, Including the original cost, the cost of surveying and the cost of administration. The aver age price received for land sold has been about 40 cents an acre, or double what was paid for it. If the Government re--ceives the same price In the future as it has In the past the receipts from nubile land sales will balance the account, so far as ine dooks or tne Land Office are con cerned. There are greater questions involved in this matter, however, than those of dol lars and cents, for the administration of the public lands in the past has been one of reckless prodigality and blindness to the future needs of a great nation. More than 100,000,000 acres have been glcn away in the form of bounties and for military service. More than 10)00,000 acres have been donated to the States. Nearly 100.000,000 acres have passed to Individuals under the notorlouf swamp law, under which, by means of perjury and misrepresentation, valuable agricul tural land has been stolen In enormous tracts. ,,. ., inn .v. -v. . .1 More than 100,000,000 acres have been 1 pKen away for educational purposes. Some of this land has fulfill it m,r. Some of this land has fulfilled Its pur pose, but from very little of it have the schools to which it was granted received the full benefit. The States receiving this land have Issued scrip, sold it to individ uals at low prices and the scrip has been used to locate property to far greater value than is represented In the money received by the college or school fund. Given to Railroads. Millions of acres have gone under the mineral land laws to build wagon roads. In salt claims and -under the timber and stone acts, an 01 wnicn give the right of ! location, to tne railroads of the country Congress has donated during the last 50 years more than 100,000,000 acres of I land, nearly all of which Is of the choic- I est character. j With all this liberality, however. Con- j cress must be given credit for having re- I lujvd to consider thousands of wildcat schtmes. under which millions of acres of I the public lands were to be diverted to . individual ownership Several thousand- bills have been Introduced in Congress, each proposing a land donation to for- -ward some scheme. These propositions have taken a remarkable range. Men ZTJl ZZ rr-nnZ, cv' t have come before Congress asking for a i grant of land to aid them in Arctic ex- ploratlon. to start' dairies, private schools. to pay the expenses' of trips abroad, and, In fact, it would be difficult to name any -Industry or any branch of human inven tlon which Congress has not been asked to favor in some form or other with a land grant. t Of the vast amount of money paid by the Government for Its great public es tate, nearly half, or about J200.000.0DO, has been paid to the Indians for quit claim deeds to territory under their control. Another 5100,000,000 has been paid to States and foreign countries for land. To survey tnis lanu ana pay tne expenses oi . the Land Office from the foundation of I Hi LANDS DISPOSED VACANT PUBLIC LANDS E3 foirrsr.ffsr?VAroAr fH IN&AN' LAyNDS Wlk WAGON AND ft AIROADGR6. LANDS NVTJ?(YA.'D St M. 119- 7r 115 the Government to the present day has , cost nearly $200,000,000. When the United , States Government first went Into the land business, the only .idea which prevailed was to sell tho pub tlic domain In any quantity to any one who might ajply at such price as could be realized. This system practically pre vailed until 1841, when the so-called Pre- k cmptlon law was passed. This is thcftrst . law which recognized 160 acres of land as being the Ideal size for a farm or home stead. It was not possible, however, to obtain enough land under this law to carry out the purposes of those desiring to create large holdings, so in 1E62 Con gress passed the Homestead law, but still leaving the Pre-emption law in effect. Homestead Law Provisions. The homestead law came nearer to rep resenting the ideas of those who believed that the public land should be given to the people. It required a five year's resi dence and evidence of good intention in the matter of cultivation before the title passed from the Government to the set tler. The land schemers, however, soon became dissatisfied with this and had the law amended, that after six months' residence the settler could obtain title by paying $1.25 an acre for the land, instead of getting It free If he lived on it for five years. The timber culture law was passed In 1S73, and this gave the settler the op; portunity of acquiring another 160 acres by planting a certain number of trees. Theoretically the law was correct In prin ciple, but in practice the conditions were almost Impossible, especially on the semi arid plains of the West, where few kinds of timber flourish. Still the land grabbers were not satis fied. A btg ranch -company in California found it necessary to secure title to about 500,000 acres of land, which It desired to use- for pasturage: so this cornpany agi tated the cnactmenC of a desert law, which enabled it to secure title to the land, ostensibly at least, by furnishing that land with an 'artificial water supply. GHIMMIE H I OW OLD is Wily Widdy?" 1 asked Duchess. "Oh," says she. "Madam Hard ing is old enough, and she Is young enough." ' "She's In luck, den," I says. "But I wasn't asking you to tell me riddles. Talk American, woman," I says. "A woman's age Is de same in m?I I langwudge. Duchess says, wise like. "Wily Widdy, as you call Madam Hard ing, is of de age -when a woman does not j let ner sentiments wnat you say? her emotions, run away wit her good sense; and when her good sense do not interfere ! .. .... . A , 1"":"Ci': 1 wIt her havInS enjoyment of her emo- tlon. Is it not?" If you- ask a goil, and specially a French goil, what street Is between Thoity-thoid and Thoity-flft streets she will want to talk about it foist, to find out why you want to know and den won't tell you straight Dat's de reason women don't like to sweep a room, but want to go into politics. Sometimes, when I pipes off Wily Widdy, when she's Just In from a walk on; do av'noo, and her hat's on straight. her gloves tcined down at de wrists, her veil furled, and all tings right wit her, j T l1,o , e nK., 1C ,.o ,0 TJfr 1 '. Zl . J . t" 7. dere are odders- Odder times. If she has been having a pretty good dinner, and a game of bridge, and is shy a few hours . of de time sho oucht to be in bed for ! her heautv i&nwen. .he looks more' her beauty sleep well, she looks more dan 18. Some more. "Tell me for fair," I says to Duchess. "is Widdy older dan you or younger?" "Duchess only makes a face at me; but tc it honu. wirtdv wno nMor nr-1 younger she never lets on. . . . 1 was wondering because "l lddy was to J P'ay a Part in de vaudeville show we was getting up at our house. Miss Fannie ! isn't going out to de teeaters dese days, ' and Mr. Paul does all de stunts dere is for to amuse her at home; which de same Is to de good for me and Duchess, for it brings mugs to de house what tips. Listen a minute: .Dats de only good ting dat I ever hears of dat is English, de tipping of house solvants. If anybody asks you why I wouldn't go in for high . ...,.t. lf T ., f. . ,,. .. society lf I was a swell, tell em dat de ups is wo ncn ior me diooo. a coupie of years aco we only laid for tips at MM iNQtAN' caWds ?rSk fit '':l 1 iW I i- PRACTICAL i &TV Vc, .. "mWfflf .,Wb.df MZXlAn YWmk LAV ' Jk - r i i y lt -ij.i.'-?' f is" i i i i " i tm nr r 1 1 "Wfc?S-3L i I .. i V $?&. V si U J 1111 HUM i III I i iMXsj w'n '. - rl K ft i i I Ji I N- -TS 1 t 1 1 I I IB-W III fijs. -K S JL 5F- foyXTforrvH--- I i 1 il S 1 4- 4r rT J 7p in i ioj oy 'j ' :re - 7- 33 ' si- v oa a i - 79" p? 75? MAP SHOWING This scheme worked so successfully that ' the demand for such a desert law became general, and In. 1S75 Congress passed what is known as the desert land act. This law still stands, and provides that any man can take up 640 .acres of land and secure title thereto by creating an artificial water supply, sufficient for irrigation, within three years from the date of the original filing! Congress became alarmed In 1S9I at the Inroads which were being made upon the 1 public domain, not by homeseckers, but bj' great corporations and individual land grabbers, who were constantly adding to their domains by dishonest use of the va rious land privileges, which were theo retically Intended only to be exercised by citizens of the AJnitcd States seeking a permanent home for themselves and their families. Strenuous efforts were made; to check these wholesale land frauds, for, under the laws as they then stood, aN citizen could secure 1120 acres of land at comparatively little expense to himself and without complying with the purpose of the whole scheme that of residence and cultivation. Agitation over this matter resulted in the repeal of the pre-emption and timber culture laws on March 3, 1S91. Under the timber culture law there had been 245,394 original entries, covering 36.907.52S acres. Up to the present time out of all these filings only 5S.213 final proofs, covering S.671,261 acres, have been made, and It Is a notorious fact that probably nine tenths of these patents have been issued to men who have not complied with the letter of the law, to say nothing of the spirit. Under the system of land sales which prevailed before 1841 and under the pre emption law up to the time of Its repeal In 1S91, the Government sold about 200. 000tt00 acres of land to 141,000 persons. Pat ents are still being Issued under the pre emption and timber culture laws, owing to the delays occasioned by contest and for other reasons. i rom the passage of the homestead 1 F7VDDEN STCRIES house parties week ends. Now It's all de time. City or country makes no differ- ( cnce. ooie is to ae good for de house solvants on tips. I'll own mo own restau rant, yet. If dis keeps on a few years. Well, Mr. Paul, he asks a lot of mugs, what can do a toln as well as de profesh, for to come to de vaudeville, and some what tinks dey could do a toln hut dey wakes up! De best of all was de lads what BUns de coHese songs. Say. dey was de limit, for fair. Mr. Paul tellB me 1 dat dey was Glee Club boys when dey J went to college, and dey was gleeful all right, too, when dey adjoins to de bil- Hard-room for refreshments, and I pulled de corks for em. Singing gives a thoist. ali ricnt. if anv nn? nkR wn iut I wL l!? ttif vou- "WMflv .-..?" ?."? .to ." -?.u' J Idd.y was to sing a caffy shanty. Dat's French for a deml tasse song. When Duchess hears dls she has a fit. "Mon DIeu! ' she says. "Madam Hard ing has de French accent like a toot ache! One may buy a new bonnet in her Kind of French, but one may not sing de songs of Paris. TaBble dote French is good enough to order soup in; but de f Bongs of Paris Is writ In anodder kind of French from bills of fare." Duchess was raw because she sings doEe songs like a lady out on top of de stage, herself, and don't tlnk anybody Is .7r " " -- ' WMtl B Uat UU "" iauI doesn invite you to sing de song. A vaudeville by solvants would be a merry-go-round for fair!" "What it is?" says Duchess, getting her Dack up and her shoulders. "What l ,8? You Aave a Partto do In de per formance. Why not me?' "But I had to sing a Bowery song. Dat's different." We ha3 rchoioals at de house for week, and de way de bottles wont was Bood for trade, sure! Every time Duchess hears Wily Widdy I clnir hfr enffv RVnr,tv nho Vinn nan. irln.i of fit jw was bad for hr. dnsp fit for she had to have em under cover; I was afraid -dey would strike In and poison her. But she never let em show. for widdy tips beautiful. A little ting like hiding a fit don't bodder Duchess when a tip is in sight. She'd take chances in. a fight wit a rattlesnake and give de snake de foist bite for a good tip. Dat's right. But Whiskers! Say, you should see him. Every time Widdy reholsed her song ? Drav7 "V1: ai DlBl ana "Encore, encore!" till I knewt dat song so rf. T eould . lt mesft, ni, mt FTeach needs a little tinkering, here and acre, to fetch lt up to Paris standard. DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN THE ORIGINAL DOMAIN AND LAND NOT law, in 1S62, to the end of the last fiscal year In the Land Office there have been about 1,200,000 homestead filings, covering about 170.000,000 acres of land. Up to the present time there have been about 600, 000 patents issued, covering more than 0, C00.O00. Congress amended the homestead mw In j the same manner as the timber culture law was amended, thus allowing the homesteader, after he had lived six months on the land, to pay $1.25 an acre ' a nn necr MM Thfa l? wiIIa swkv- and receive tltie. This Is called a com- mutated homestead, and Is looked upon by those most familiar with the working of the land laws as a most vicious feature of land legislation. It is an interesting and rather cur!ou3 fact to note that the average number of patents Issued to settlers upon home- steads holds good through a long term of years. For the last 20 years about 20,- titles have been Issued each year by the Government to homestead settlers. The fluctuations Jf Immigration. Indus- trial conditions and other things which apparently affect every other industry have had no effect appreciably upon the number of persons who have each year sought a new home upon Government land. This army of homeseekers pressed steadily on in ijs work of reclaiming the wilderness. Public Land Still Left. There are now left in the hands of the Government nearly 500,000,000 acres of land. This can be roughly divided Into 200.000. 000 acres of grazing land. 50,000,000 acres of forest, 75,000,000 acres of wood land other tha forests, 65,000.000 acres of desert and 70,000,000 acres which can be Irrigated and thus made productive. Under the present laws there are still numberless ways in which the land specu lator can secure a slice of this public do main. During the last year titles passed from the Government to Individuals for timber and stone land, private grants, mineral claims, desert, homestead and swamp claims. Coal lands, town sites, military reservations, state grants, sub- HE Duchess says so, anyway; but she's dotty on dat proposition. Well, after awhile Duchess quits mak ing any cracks to me about Widdy's French, and gets busy doing a Unking part. I knows dere is someting doing. When dat goil isn't saying anytlng, I don't have to give two guesses to know she Is up to tome game. I can only folley all her colves when she is mad about someting. When she isn't, she's bad. She cets busv wit some dlnkv olosn tnn- nrt before de night of de vaudeville she was so good I knows she was more dan usual bad But 1 couldn't get Sext, and only has to tlnk what' ell! Mr. Paul has a stage put in de end of de music room, what was like a real stage, wit a coltan, and electric lights dat could be tolned up and down or sideways. Dose was my part of dc woik. dose lights. Mr. Paul was do boss manager. De night of de show dere was a big party, and business was good in de tip ping line, and tings was going gaily-gally for a couple of hours before de coltan. It was den I was wondering how old Widdy vraB' SaY she was a winner wit dose lads what was to sing de college songs. Dey was all down in de billiard-room re holslng, de lads and Widdy, wit me seeing dat dey was enough bots to keep delr Iroats from drying up. Widdy made a star bit wit dose boys, for fair. I wonder what It Is in being a widdy dat makes a woman such a winner wit young men and ola. Dere was nottlng slow about dose boys, but dey was never showing her how to play cards. And she likes de fun of It. at dat. She was only sparring for fun, wit big gloves on, but she's so handy at de game she likes to show how It's done. Anyway, I" tlnk most of ds lad3 would like notting better dan to take les sons from her in how to be friendly, and not too friendly. Mr. Paul sends woid to me dat de per formance was to begin, and I shows one of de lads where dc billiard-room Ice box was, and I chases to me place at de lights. As I was going to me place, trough a hall dat was dark, I. runs Into Duchess, and she says to me did I get Widdy's orders dat de light was to be low for her toln. I says no, and she says dey was; and her toin was to be de second one, so I was to be ready. I tought dat was all right, for Duchess had been drilling Widdy In her woik. an would know what she wanted. Well, de foist toin was wolked off all right, and den Mr. Paul, who was on de opposite side of de stage from me, he says: "Is Mrs. Harding ready?" "Ready, sir," I says, looking around. and seeing what I tinks was Widdy. Mr. Paul hoists- de coltain, and I lowers de v NOW TAKEN UP. stltution claims, church and Indian claims, scrip and educational donations- all these and others help to swell the total acreage alienated from public) ownership, amounting in the last 12 months to about 20,000,000 acres. Every Secretary of the Interior for 23 ,- l ! years has urged-the repeal of all land laws except the one by which a man can secure title to land by five years' resi dence upon the same. Secretary Teller said in 1573: "Not another acre should be ' sold for cash or scrip." ' Trvina to Ston Lcalslatlon. Fortunately Congress within the last twa years has adopted this view with con siderable emphasis, and the energies of those who desire to secure the public j land for purposes other than home mak J ln5 have been transferred to the effort to prevent such legislation as would check their operations and to secure new legis iatlon. such as the proposed long-time lease, whereby their position as enemies ! lease, whereby their position as enemies of the homeseeker and settler would hs the agricultural population of the West made stronger. ern States is Increasing, but to the use of Several very strong and capable mem these claims to surround and control land bers- of Congress hae become deeply in owned by the Government and in that terested in the public land question as It way secure an enormous acreage for prl now presents itself, and there will be a ate purposes, of which there Is no record determined agitation at this session of In the Land Office in- Washington. Congress for the repeal of all land laws. Congress has heeded the warning so except the law under which a man can often given by Land Commissioners, other secure 160 acres of public land by residing 1 Government" officials and by the people thereon for at least Ave years and giving 1 themselves, and no longer freely dis- evidence of good faith by the honest cul tivation of the land. The serious drawback to a successful land business as conducted by Uncle Sam in his great office in Washington is that politics plays an altogether dominant part In the machinery. For the same reason Congress cannot be relied upon to view the enltre matter from a broad point of view. The Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Hitchcock, recently remarked: "The land question, or rather, the question of the public domain, is one of the greatest questions, if not the greatest, now before the American people," While apparently this vacant public do- TELLS HOW THE DUCHESS MADE A DOUBLE HIT IN VAUDEVILLE lights, and I s"een de game de next second, but It was too late. De caffy shanter was Duchess! Nobody else tumbles but me. den, and I holds me breat for to see would any one get next. Nobody did. I've told you yarns 1 about Duchess making up for Widdy be fore dis, eh? She can do it like a mice! And sing like her? Say, she had do Widdy's voice and queer French down so I fine dat if It had been anybody else but me own wife I'd been conned. Dere was a yell for a encore, led by Whiskers. I seen him. red in de face, and asking de folks around him wasn't Widdy a wonder. De coltain was down, and Duchess was on de side of de stage wit me, and I whispers to i her. "Woman," I whispers, "you has trun us In de soup dis time, for good. We loses our places for dis!" I says. She only laughs a little at me and goe3 on when Mr. Paul rings up for de repeat, and, be chee! dis time she sings de real t'lng, for fair. I seen Miss Fannie begin to stare, for she cons French like a na tive, and dc song wasn't do kind anyone but de real article could make good in. Den I see Mr. Paul blink, and I near faints. "We is down and out!" I says to Duchess when she comes off de next time. "Walt until we is asked to explain," says Duchess, and sneaks. Well, I goes on wit me woik, and after a time de college lads was sent for, and wit 'em, from de billiard-room, comes Widdy. I see Duchess meet her in de hall, and say a wold to her. Widdy near faints, but she braces, and after de show was over, goes in front, and she is de middle of a mix-up of de whole gang, telling her what a artist she was. Whis kers goes to her wit two glad hands, and he says, "Splendid, madam i" he says. "Better, even dan de reholsals," he says. "Fine," he says. "As good as ever .1 hears in Paris." he- says. f Say, she's no farmer. She fetches a blush, and she says "Only -de stage set ting dat improved me," she says. When I hears her take de bouquets of talk dat was passed out to her I tinks I was going crolsy, and I Just naturally gives up trying to get next to de game, or within a mile of it. Same wit Mr. Paul and Miss Fannie. Dey opens big eyes at Widdy when she acts like she had been de caffy chanter, and dey says notting. By de time we had de little tables set for de supper. Duchess was around In her i proper close, and getting next to any prop- osition dat promised to have av tip in it; and looking like she'd never wore close what was a dead ringer for de Widdy's make-up. She passes me out a wink and I main is open to the settler, there are very few acres, no matter how fertile or how well watered, upon which he can go at the present day and remain in undisturbed possession. These vacant lands have been parcelled out among those already on the 1 ground and are used as ranges for stock originating at the home ranches. Vast areas of this Government land are there tore practically appropriated, so much so that It may mean ruin or even death to the homesteader who stakes his all upon establishing himself within its boundaries. A map showing the land in private own ership In any one of the Western States will .disclose the fact that Government claims are shoastringed along the water courses so as to control the water supply and the naturally productive valleys, with the result that the" Government land for many -miles on either side is entirely use- , less and, in fact, impossible of settlement, The enormous increase of late vears In t the number of homestead, desert land and timber fillncs is due. not to the fact that j tributes public land grants to railroads, states or Individuals, and the only way such property can now be obtained from the Government in large tracts Is to securo a sufficient number of Individuals who are willing to use their rights under the settle j ment laws, and for "a small consideration transfer these rights to those engaged in building up large land ownlngs. Reports of every special agent who has been sent out by the Interior Department recently disclose a wanton abuse of these citizenship rights in the Interest of those for whom the public domain was not in tended. In Nebraska thousands of sol diers' widows have used their rights for a grin, so I knows she had some game to give de electric chair de go-by, and I gets busy, too. I'm tinking. Widdy came nearer landing Whiskers dat night dan she ever did be fore. It's no cinch she dldnt land him; for dey was gaily-gaily all de evening, and he couldn't say often enough what a wonder she'd been as a caffy chanter. But de lads dat she'd been wit in de billiard room had de surprises of deir lives. She read signs on 'em. She looked so far over delr heads dey couldn't see wedder her eye was glad .or not. Dey was getting a new lesson in WIddles. And when dey hears every one telling her what a hit she'd made In her toin, dey looked woozy. Dey couldn't make it out a little bit. When every one was gone, and me and Duchess was in our room, I says to her. "A en me. tell me quick," I says, "how did you square lt!" It is notting says Duchess, "Notting Indiana. Illinois and similar States de at all Tour wife Is a stupid goil. for to I bauched entire commonwealths, built up be soitan. Would you have Whiskalre gat lobbies in Washington and created know dat de reason Madam Harding was rotn boroughs for the election of rep not ready to go on wit her song was be- resentatives to the United States Senate, cause she was teaching a lot of nice-look-J Tne Iand SCandals which have attract w.?mU?5 se""en?en how to fl politely? pubi,c attention during the last 12 would It not be better for de song to be months are but the bubbles upon the sur- sung by who happened to be ready, dan for to have a stage wait, and Whiskalre hopping up. and running all over de house to find out what kept Widdy and finding out? No, you are a man and derefore stupid. Madam Harding, she is not stupid. When I say a wold to her explaining dat I have sing her song to keep Whiskalre from de trouble of looking for her and finding her-she is so kindlv tnoved dat . cwki. ...v.,.u . .i.iauu.m o fourT'ofde" F fV?" makC a!l M ? S ? trTte so"?' Duchess. I says, giving her a kiss to snow j didn't have a hammer out be- ' cause she had given me de heart disease. I "Duchess," I says, "On de level, how old is Widdy?" "Oh," says she, "Madam Is of de age I when a woman does not let her senti- ' ments run away wit her good sense; and wnen her good sense do not Interfere wit her having de enjoyment of her emo tion." "Tanks," I says. Copyrighted, 1903 by R. H. Russell. Virtue Gone Wrong. Washington Star. It Is somewhat saddening in the face of the ship-building charges to remem- f her that a few years ago Charles M. ocnwao was neia up to tne youth of the country as an example of what a young man could accomplish by honestr. In- I dustry and patient economy. the benefit of the cattle companies. In Montana miles upon miles of fertile farm ing land which should be tributary to growing towns have been absorbed under tha desert land act for tho same purpose. In Oregon, Washington and Northern Cal ifornia Eastern lumber companies have secured thousands of acres of valuable saw timber under a law which was intended in its Inception to promote settlement or to give homesteaders upon tlmberless lands theright to secure for their own use and benefit 160 acres of wood land. Those who were Interested in securing title to large areas of Government land were until recently practically represented In Congress by 26 Senators and nearly as many members of the House. Some of these Representatives, however, have found that the industrial, commercial and agricultural population of their states was far more valuable In a material and do- lltlcal way than the men who owned the cattle ranches, and these Western men have become strenuous advocates of a restriction In the settlement laws as they are now Interpreted by the Land Office. The range Interests, however, are still all powerful in Washington. Several Senators and Representatives from states where the range Interests still dominate are promi nent In the councils of the Republican party, and by their very prominence, a3 well as numbers, are able to prevent any radical legislation such as is recommended by the Interior Department and even' by the- President of the United States. Selfish Western Men. Senator Teller was once Secretary of tha Interior. This was 23 years ago. and he then, in one of his annual reports, gave utterance to a truth which is as forcib a today as lt was then. It was to the effect that it Is a common fallacy to suppose tht the men who lived upon the public land3 knew best how they should be handled from a legislative point of view. The tha Secretary went on to explain that th" Eastern members of Congress had allowed the Western men to frame the laws for the disposal of the public land, and In .so doing had afforded an opportunity for selfish and venal Interests to accomplish their ends. Even 25 years ago Mr. Teller earnestly recommended the repeal of all the laws for the disposal of land except the home stead law, and It is most significant that every succeeding Secretary of the Interior. Republican or Democratic, has practically urged the same course, and In nearly e ery Administration has been supported bv the President. The main springs of legislation Is self interest, generally political, and where the votes are few and far between and the members of State Legislatures nearly all come from the big ranches the pub lic domain has found few champions from the homesteader's point of view. Congress has at various times attempted in a half-hearted way to remedy exist ing evils, but through some quallfjintr clause, some twist in the interpretation of a statute or some door purposely left open the land-grabbers have found con tlnueds. opportunity for their operations. At the rate that the public lands are now being disposed of, there will not bo an available location for a homesteader within less than three years, unless it might be some nook or cranny between the foothills which the adventurous live stock man has overlooked, or has hoped to hold without plastering a government claim upon it. This condition was rec ognized by Congress in the National Irri gation bill, which was enacted Into law two years ago, for that measure Is prac tically an amended homestead law. an I so far as is possible the land to be irri gated is safeguarded from speculative raids. Canada Rejects Our Laws. Canada only enacted her public land laws within the last four years. Shu sent a commission to the United States to study the operation of our laws. That commission rejected absolutely every thing upon our statute books except thu homestead law, and when lt is recorded that 26,000 Americans entered the Canad ian Northwes last year to settle upon government land, it means that these 26,000 persons -went there to live perma nently upon 160-acre farms to which they cou!I not get title with less than threo years" actual residence. In Montana alone, during the last year, more than 1,000,000 acres of government land have been taken up by alleged set tlers. Notwithstanding this fact the ag ricultural population of that State has actually decreased In many sections where the bulk of these filings wero made. Only one Inference can be drawn from such a condition, and that is that those who are already upon the ground are rapidly absorbing the area which has been counted upon as an outlet for fu ture population and as a source of food supply for a rapidly Increasing people. The lands which have gone to railroads in such enormous quantities have not been entirely thrown away, for It wa3 through this agency that the railroads were built in advance of settlement. It being to the Interest of transportation companies to increase the population and production of their territory, their efforts have been largely toward the dis posal of their granted lands to those who would live upon and cultivate, them. The Government has not been so fortu nate In the land granted to States, for the same "graft" which has been suc cessful In the past In Congress has been far easier of accomplishment in lesser political bodies, wnere a large majority of the members had direct personal In terests to serve. Built Up States. The manner in which the nubile domain has been disposed of by Congress has. on the one hand, built up State after State, until the great productive and enormous ly wealthy nation of the present time has been created. The evils were not appar ent In the early days, when the frontier line advanced with the plow and the ax, hut when the farming limit was reached and great areas became neces sary for the conduct of peculiar indus tries the same methods which brought I ,,. nrnsnPritv and nonnlatfon to Ohio. r..p innioniirp nr or n rar nscnor ;anrMi and more widespread in their effects than can be corrected In a single generation. The member of Congress who now raises his voice in protest at the present use to which the settlement laws are put Is ac cused of attempting to stop the develop ment of the West. Such a member need KDt secure the statistics which show tho acreage disposed of and compare it with 'Periods prove 'conc'lus tallenation of land now proce , a tmpn,n,, rnt bears n the estimates of population at various ely that the proceeding at such tremendous rate bears no relation to the development of the West, and in fact these figures will show that It is being retarded thereby. These public lands belong to the people as a whole. They are the sons of the people of the East who have In the past found homes upon them. That avenue of escape from the crowded condition of older settled communities Is now about to be closed forever, unless Immediate and radical steps are taken to check the land-hungry minority which Is rapidly acquiring title to this once vast estate. At the present rate it is not a question of years butf months, and to Inquire into the matter at all Is to reach tho same conclusion expressed by the Secre tary of the Interior. Ethan Allen Hitch- cock, when he said, a year ago. that "this is now tne greatest question before i the American people." J. D. WHELPLP.T. Washington. D. C. November IS. 1S03.