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•een in various degrees of dllaplda- last year the repeal of the assign- that the supply Is adequate for that ton, but they show no evidence of nient clause. This provision has purpose. While this showing, on its genuine occupation. They have been made the convenient vehlcl. never been In any sense homes. evading the spirit of the law and for Investigations have been carried on facilitating the acquisition of lauds in where the commuted homesteads are large J^kllngs. The law limits the notable in number. The records of nmoun^^Hich one person or ftasocia- some of the counties examined show tion of ’persons may hold, by assign- that 90 per cent of the commuted ment or otherwise, prior to patent to homesteads were transferred within, 320 acres of such arid or desert three months after acquisition of tl- lands. The most common form of at* tie, and evidence was obtained to tempted evasion of this requirement •how that two-thirds of the comma- Is for two or three individuals ters immediately left the state, many instances foreigners, particu larly citizens of Cannda, came into this country, declared their intention of becoming citizens .took up home steads, commuted, sold them ,and re turned to their native land. Tlie reasons given for adhering to the commutation clause are diverse and many of them are cogent when applied to individual cases. It is said, for example, that the commu ter desires to raise money for use in improving bis place. This Is often true, but in the majority of cases the records show that the commuter Im mediately leaves the vicinity. The frequency of loans Is traceable In many places dlrectiy to the activity form themselves into a corporation, each individual member of the corpo ration securing, by entry or assign ment, 820 acres.of -such lands and the corporation ns such 320 acres. These sumo individuals then form an other corporation under- an entirely different name end procure >tn as signment of another 320 acres, and this process Is continued indefinitely. The Gdheral Land Office has within the past year endeavored to put stop to this practice by holding that a corporation or association of per sons Is not qualified to receive a des ert-land entry by assignment where Its individual members .either singly or In the aggregate are holding 320 acres of such arid or desert lands. of agents of loan companies, who This ruling, if enforced, will tend to are often United States commission-1 lessen the evils resulting from large era also, eager first to induce settle-! holdings prior to patent, but It is not ment and then to make these loans J deemed possible to secure adequate on account of the double commission ( control of this question' unless the received. Later they secure ^ the law prohibits assignments of desert- business tmm *n old wood-cut tllM-tmtion lu Rlchr.nl- son'i ** Wot of th« Mississippi.”—A ‘‘Homo" 14x30 (inches, not foot) showing that falao swearing in acquiring government land is no new art, through the foreclosure and transfer •f the property. The true working of the commutation clause does not ap pear until after foreclosure upon the maturity of the loans. One significant brought ont by the Investigation is that a large portion of the commuters are women, who never establish a permanent resi dence and who are employed tempo rarily In the towns as school teach ers or In domestic service, or who are living with their parents. The great majority of thene commuters sell im mediately upon receiving title, the business being transacted through some agent who represents his client In all dealings and prepares all pa pers. The .commutation clause, if it is to be retnined to cover special cases, should be effective only after not less than three years’ actual—not con structive-living at home on tho land. Under present practice, the commuta tion period being fourteen months, six months of this time is generally taken to establish residence, so that only eight mouths remain. This time $* usually arranged to include the summer, "so that the shack built need not be habitable in severe winter -weather, and the residence on the land may consist merely In a sum mer outing. Obviously it Is essen tial that residence should bo far more strictly defined. It is probable that 1ax interpretation and enforcement of the provisions of tho law regard ing residence is responsible for more fraud under the homestead act than all other causes combined. It may bo urged that tho frauds which have taken place under the land entries. Ry repealing that pro vision of the law and requiring the claimant to show that ho has made the entry for his own use and benefit and not for the benefit of any other person or corporation and that he has made no agreement by which the title shall inure to any other person or corporation the evils incident to large holdings of such lands under the sanction of law will be materially lessened. __ It is a striking fact that these large holdings of desert land are not re claimed and devoted to their best use. Three hundred and twenty acres of irrigable land is entirely too much for economical handling by one per son. On the other hand, inspection shows that In the same locality and under tho same climatic conditions tho homestead entries, where hot com muted, are reclaimed and utilized. The dosert-land net «s It stands up on the statute books appears to have many features which commend it, as before stated, tho prnetlees gov erning It have largely nullified Its good features, and the resulting evils cannot be fully overcome with out logislnton. The area of the desert entry should be cut down from 820 acres to not exceeding ICO acres, and discre tion should be given to tho Secretary of tho Interior to cut It down still further where it is apparent that in tensive cultivation Is practicable. A farm of 820 acres, if irrigated, is en tirely too large for n single family, .and its possession simply prevents other settlers from coming into the country. Furthermore, it makeB land monopoly easy and Induces specula* ttojirv Actual living at home on the land for not less than two years Simula be required before patent Your f’ommlsslon can not understand why any settler should be given both a homestead and a desert entry, either of which without the other should suf fice, under the law, to lurnlsh him "a home. The desert-land . law rliould bo a means of settlement, and nctonl bona fide residence' should be rigidly required. Tin* actual production of ft valuable crop should be required on not less than one-fourth tho area of tho en try. At present, as a rule, the great er part of tho desert entries are never actually watered. Hundreds cf desert entries were examined by members of tho Commission In tho Inst year, and the great majority of them were found to bo uninhabited, unlrrlgated. uncultivated, and with no Improvements other than a fonce. This applies both to desert entries up on which a final proof Is now being offered and to other entries to which 'title has been given. It is a fact that a very small pro portion of tho land disposed of under thd terms of the law has actually been reclaimed and Irrigated, and scrutiny of many hundreds of desert lace, Indicates a compliance with law, the fact remains that the water supply, If any at all, Is not sufficient to permanently reclaim the land. The ownership of stock In a pro jected irrigation ditch which does not exist in fact, or the ownership of a pump temporarily Installed, lias often been accepted. In connection with such testimony, as proof of the possession of water. Many alleged irrigation ditches or reservoirs are familiar to members of thd Commis sion which are utterly Inadequate to irrigate a square roil, and upon tho strength of such works patent has frequently then issued to 320 acres of land. Frauds committed through conven tional forms of perjury and through lack of proper verification of the fucts as to tho recllamatlon of the land justify the taking of Immediate and radical steps In tlie revision of the law. The law should absolutely require an actual adequate water supply, and the limits as to quantity should be deflnod. In short, the law should render Im possible the continuance of the practices by which desert lands without water, without cultivation, and without crops are passed Into the possession of claimants. Crabbing Lands. The great bulk of the vacant pub lic lands throughout the West are un suitable for ctdtivation under the present known conditions of agricul ture, and so located that they can not be reclaimed by Irrigation. They are, and probably always must be, of chief value for graslng. There are It 1b estimated, more than 300,000,- 000 acres of public grazing land, an area approximately equal to one-flfth the extent of the United States proper. The exact limits can not be set, for with seasoned changes large areas of land which afford good grazing one year are almost desert In another. There are also vast tracts Of wooded timbered land In which grazing has mnch Importance, and until a further classlllcatlon of tbs public lands Is made It will be Im possible to give with exactness the total ncreage. The extent is so vast and the commercial Interests In volved so great ns to demand In the highest degree the wise and conser vative handling of these vast sources. It Is a matter of the first Import ance to know whether these grazing lands are being used In the best way posslb’o for the continued devcl p- ment of tho country or whether they are being abused under a sys tem which Is detrimental to such de velopment and by which tho only present value of tho land Is being rrpldly destroyed. At present the vacant public lands are theoretically open commons, free to all citizens but as a matter of fuct a large proportion have been parceled ont by more or loss definite compacts COFFEE WAR 1 1 The Coffee Importers and Roasters are Attacking POSTUM FOOD COFFEE All Along the Line. “THERE’S A REASON.” or agreements among tbe various In terests. These tacit agree menu are continually being violated- The sheepmen and cnttlement are ln fre quent collision because of Incursions upon each other's domain. Land which for years has been regarded as exclusively cattle range may be In fringed upon by huge bands of sheep, forced by drought to migrate. ROCnAUDEAV STATUE. A Heroic Bronze Figure of France’s Field Marshall Standing In Front . — of White House. One of tbe very striking and majes tic bite of bronxe In Washington It Ut. Sochamheau stains which stands In what was called Jackson Square, SPLENDID WESTERN TIMBER GROVE. In the Region Belas Despoiled Undar the Timber and Stone Aot_ i operations of the commutation danse are due largely to lar administration. The fact Is that the precedents estab lished by decisions rendered on spe cial cases have SO far weakened the powers of administration that addi tional legislation Is necessary. _ ■ . - ai Desert Land taw. Tn the preceding report the' opinion was expressed that the desert-laud law should, for the present, at least be allowed to stand, with a few change* In detail. Tt wnR believed that with the experience of the part for guidance. It wonld be possible to enforce this lsw so -that Its essential provisions should be compiled with. More careful analvsls, however, of the operatlona of tbla act and of'tbe practices which have grown np baa led your commission strongly to the eonriradon thst this law should be modified In essential particulars. Tear Commission recommended entries now passing to final proof shows that In tho majority of eases, these lands are not actually utilized, but are being held for speculative pnrposos, owing to several causes, among which are the laxity of some of the state laws governing appro priation of water for Irrigation pur poses. and tho Insufficiency 'of the water supply, considerable difficulty has been encountered In administer ing that provision of the desert-land laws which requires a claimant tn have a permanent water right based on prior appropriation. Very often tho wnters of a stream are exhausted by other appronrlators before the lime when tbe claimant goes throneb the form of posting notices, recording his claim, and" complvlng with other essentials of the state jaw. Notwithstanding this, he furnishes the testimony of two witnesses that the water thus appropriated has been used In reclaiming bU tend, and ROCHAMBEAU STATUE, Stands Opposite tho Wlilto House, because of the presence there Of Clark Mills’ equestrian statue of General Jackson, later called Lafa yette Square, because of the erection there of the great Lafayette statue, and now very frequently called Roehambe.au Park because of this elegant example of art Tbe statue xvns unveiled In -1B02. It stands di rectly In front of the White House. Tbe movement for tho erection in the National Capital of a statue of Rochamhenn was In recognition of the dose Hes between France and the United states. This ROntlment wa* particularly strong after the close of the Spantsh-Amerlenn xvnr In view of the services rendered In lb* Interest of peace by Camhoh the French Ambassador. The govern ment of France had also Jnst sent over two superb Sevres vases as a gift to President McKinley. Con gress appropriated 87,800 for the statue. Rnehsmhean commanded the French forces sent to the ns- ”'«tanee of the ynnng republic of the United 8tates and which co-operated with the Continental army at York- town. ."t; I Rnehawlifim stsfne !s excel lent art The French field marshal In the full uniform of hts rank stands with one arm outstretched evident! pointing to the distant American col onv which he Is about to help. At the base Is a symbolic figure. It l« the figure of n woman hurrying forward with the flag of France horns aloft In thp right hand. Be neath her feet Is the prow of a sMp suggestive of the force which France has sent across tbe seas to aid the republic of the United States' In the day* of Its Infancy. Below are the srma of France and the United States linked together. ' j Many people have Found out the truth about old- fashioned coffee. They have overcome disease caused by it. The plan was "easy and sure. Quit Coffee and use Postum. Proof with one’s seif is stronger than any theory. The Postum army grows by hundreds of thousands yearly. The old-fashioned.CofFee Magnates are now derid ing Postum through the papers. Because their pocketbooks are hurt, they would drive the people back to the old coffee slavery. One coffee prevaricator says: “It (Postum) has lately been exposed and found to contain an excess of very ordinary coffee.” Another that "it (Postum) is made from a small amount of parched peas, beans, wheat, dried sweet potatoes, and paste of wheat middlings.” Here’s to you, oh faithful followers of the tribe of Ananias * * $100,000.00 CASH will be deposited with any reputable trust company (or a less amount if desired) against a like amount by any coffee roaster or dealer. If the charges prove true we losc, # if not we take the riioney as partial liquidation for the infamous insult to our business. The Postum Pure Food factories are the largest in the world, the business having been built upon abso lutely pure food products, nude on scientific lines, “for a reason” and the plain unvarnished truth told every day and all the time. These factories are visited by thousands of people every month. They are shown info eyery cranny and examine every ingredient and process. Each visitor see* Postum made of different parts of the wheat berry treated by different mechan ical methods and one part blended with a small part of pure New Orleans molasses. So he knows Postum contains not one tiling in the world but Wheat and New Orleans molasses. It took more than a year of experimenting to perfect the processes and learn how to develop the-diastase and properly treat the other elements in the wheat to produce the coffee-like flavor that makes suspicious people "wonder.” But there never has been one grain of old-fashioned or drug coffee in Postum and never will be. Another thing, we have on file in our general offices the original of every testimonial letter we have ever published. We submit that our attitude regarding coffee is now’and always has been absdlulely fair. If one wants a stimulant and can digest coffee and it does not set up any sort of physical ailment, drink it. But, if coffee overtaxes and weakens the heart (and it does with some). Or if it sets up disease of the stomach and bowels (and it does with some). Or if it causes wealjfyes (and it does .with some). Or if it causes nervous prostration (and it does with many). Then good plain old-fashioned common sense might (without asking permission of coffee merchants) sug gest to quit putting caffeine (the drug of coffee) into a highly organized human body, for health is really wealth and the happiest sort of wealth. - Then if one’s own best interest urges him to study into the reason and “There’s a reason,*’ he will un- earth great big facts that all of the sophistries of the coffee importers and roasters cannot refute. A Few Overlooks. “I met an old friend In town to-day" ■aid Mr. Shannon to bis wife one even ing, on hts return from’business,” and bo told mo be expected to bo married a a week. - ■~ Ten minutes later, after bit wife bad finished asking questions, Mr. Sbonnon wrote as follows to bis friend Stodder: 'Dear Stodder:—I thought I was a newspaper reporter, but please answer tbe following, questions by return mall. Tbey cover aoms points I neg lected to get from you. "What la tbe name of tbe girl you are to marry? “Where does she live? “What does her father do? - 1 “Has ho any money? "Was it lore at first sight? “Are you very much In love With her? “How old la she? “Whore are you gMng to Uve? “Did you ask her personally, or write your proposal? “Havn’t yon proposed to other girls? “How did yon and 1 come to bo such friends? 'Where are you going For yonr honeymoon? •'-**> f “Is It that tall girl yon took to tho theatre one night last winter? • “iVhy didn’t I ask yon all this when you told me? • “Were yon so excited yon couldn’t give me any Information, but simply isd to ta)k about-getting married? “A prompt reply will help me to give my wife some much-desired Informa tion. Next time yon tell me you are going to be married, don’t think that s the really Important feature about It-Yours hastily, Shannon.” A darky wa* asked why he went away, and gave thp following lueld su per: "I didn’t went I didn’t want to went, and If I had wanted to went I couldn't have got to go no how.” A Tension Indicator: IQ0SC IS JUST WHAT THE WORD lIMFUES. It . the state of the tension at a glance. Its use means time saving anil easier sewing. It’s our own Invention and is found only on the White SewingMachine. , We have other striking Improvements that appeal to the careful buyer. Send tot out elegant H. T. catalog. Cleveland, Ohio. PENSIONS. Over one Million Dollars allowed our clients during the last six years. Over one Thousand claims allowed through us dur ing the last six months. - Dis ability, Age and In crease pensions obtained in the shortest possible time. 'Widows* claims a specialty. Usually granted within 90 days if placed with us immedi ately on soldier’s death. Fees fixed'by law and payable out of ■' allowed pension. A successful experience of 25 years and benefit of daily calls at Pension Bureau are at your service. Highest ref erences furnished. Bocal Magis trates pecuniarily benefited by sending us claims. TABER & WHITMAN CO., Warder Bld’g, Washington, D. C. SILOS Fins, Fir, Cypres! and Yellow Flos. , Write for Catalogue. . Eagle Tank Co., 281 N. Green 8t, Chicago, 111. PIANOS AND ORGANS. STANDARD OF THE WORLD £ There’ Is a group of Islands south of New Zealand called thh Seven Slaters, said to be subject to a practically constant ralnfalL The same condi tions exist In Terra del Fuego, except tbat tbe rain often taken the form -Of sleet or snow. * ' Tho Newest and Best SIRA L OCKS LYNCH PERFECTION YALE PRINCIPLE The NEWEST THINGS for CHRISTMAS WEDDING (and other) PRESENTS ; are our Lock Borides for use on Trunks, Telescopes, Cases of all kinds, Portfolios, Messenger Bags, etc. - >’ They are the only Loclr Buckles xrith the Ynle Principle and are mods of Manganese Bronze, which looks like gold, is stronger than steel.and will notrust. Locks alone (easily attachable). Small, 60c; medium, 75c: . large, $1.00. (Beautifully hand engraved and including monogram, 25c extra); with strap for trunk. $1.50 ; for case, $1.00 prepaid and re turnable if not delighted. Booklet on request Salesmen a'd sales women wanted everywhere. LYNCH MEG. CO. Madison, Wis.