Newspaper Page Text
seen In various degrees of dliapida
ton, but they show no evidence of
genuine occupation. They have
never l>oen in any sense homes.
Investigations nave been carried on
where the commoted homesteads are
notable hi number. The records of
some of the counties examined show
that l*u j**r cent of the commuted
homesteads were transferred within
three months after acquisition of ti
tle, and evidence was obtained to
show that two-thirds of the commu
ters Immediately left the state. In
runny Instances foreigners, particu
larly citizens of Canada, came Into
this country, declared their intention
of becoming citizens .took up home
steads, commuted, sold thern ,und re
turned to their native land.
'I lie reason* 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 his place. This is often
true, but In the majority of eases the
records show that the commuter Im
mediately leaves the vicinity. The
frequency of loans Is traceable In
rnanr places directly to the activity
of agents of loan companies, who
are often United States commission
er* also, eager first to Induce settle
ment and then to make these loans
on account of the double commission
received. Later they secure the
business which accrues to them
from an old wiMxl-riit lllimtratlon In Richard
son** " Want of the Mississippi." A "Home"
14x20 (inches. not foot) showing that false
swearing In acquiring govcrmuuut land to
no new art.
through the foreclosure nnd transfer
of the property. The true working of
the commutation danse does not ap
pear until after foreclosure upon the
maturity of the loans.
One slgtillleaut brought out by the
Investigation Is tbut u large portion
tis the commuters lire women, who
never establish a permanent resi
dence and who are employed tempo
rarily In tiie towns as school touch
ers or In domestic service, or who are
living with their parents. The great
majority of these commuters sell Im
mediately upon receiving title, the
business being transacted through
some agent who represents his client
lu all dealings and prepares ull pa
pers.
The commutation clause. If It Is to
be retained to cover special cases,
should l«* effective only after not less
than three years’ actual not <vm
siruetlvo living at homo on the land,
tinder present practice, the commuta
tion period being fourteen months,
six months of tills time Is generally
tuken to establish residence, so tlmt
only eight months remain. This time
is usually arranged to include the
summer, so that the shack built need
not Ik> habitable In severe winter
weather, and the residence on the
land may consist merely In a sum
mer outing. Obviously It Is assen
tlal that residence should be far more
strictly defined. It Is probable that
lax Interpretation and enforcement
of the provisions of the law regard
ing residence Is responsible for more
fraud under the homestead act than
all other causes combined.
It may be urged that the frauds
which have takeu place uuder the
$ fc*. • £&l
kL^ t-
SPLENDID WESTERN TIMBER grove.
In the Region IV in# lVspoilcd l iuler the Timber anil Stono Adt^
operations of the commutation otnmie
are due largely to las administration.
The fact la that the precedents estab
lished by decision* rendered on apo
dal cases have so far weakened the
power* of administration that nddi- ,
tional legislation is necessary.
Desert Land I aw.
In tbs pr»«oedtng report the opinion
was saprecsed that the desert land
law Asuld for the present, at least. |
be nßswed to stand, with a few
changes t» detail. It was bell* vat
thfft. wtth the experience of the past
for tprtftsnce. It would he possible to,
enfsrss tMs favr so that Its essential |
prortato»s should he compiled with
More esrefnl analysis. however, of
the operation* of this act and of the
practices which have crown up has (
led yoTTT commission strongly to the |
contusion that this law should be
modified In essential particulars.
Your Commission recommended |
- last year the repeal of the assign
ment clause. This provision has
been made the convenient vehicle for
evading the spirit of the law nnd for
i facilitating the acquisition of lauds in
i large holdings. The law limits the
r amount which one person or nssocla
r tion of persons may hold, by assign
-1 meat or otherwise, prior to patent to
i 320 acres of such arid or desert
- lands. The most common form of at
> tempted evasion of this requirement
- Is for two or three individuals to
i form themselves Into a corporation,
- each individual member of the corpo
> ration securing, by entry or assign
i merit, 320 acres of such lands and
■ the corporation ns such 320 acres.
• These same individuals then form an
j other corporation under an entirely
i different name nnd procure an ns
( slgnment of another 320 acres, and
this process Is continued Indefinitely,
i The fieneral Land Office has within
the past year endeavored to put a
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 mcmliers .either singly
or In the aggregate* are holding 220
nrros of such arid or desert lands.
This ruling, if enforced, will tend to
lessen the evils resulting from large
holdings prior to patent, but it Is not
deemed possible to secure adequate
control of this question unless the
law prohibits assignments of desert
land entries, lly re|M*allng that pro
vision of the law and requiring the
claimant to show that he has made
the entry for Ids own use ami benefit
and not for the benefit of any other
person or corporation and that he
lias 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 j
the sanction of law will be materially
lessened.
It Is a striking fact that these large
i holdings of desert land lire not re
claimed and devoted to their best
j 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 the same climatic conditions the
homestead entries, where not com
muted, are reclaimed and utilized.
The desert-land net as it stands up
on the statute books appears to have
many features which commend it,
as before stated, the practices gov
erning It have largely nullified its
good features, and the resulting
evils cannot be fully overcome with
out legist) ton.
The area of the desert entry !
I should he cut down from 320 acres to
I not exceeding 100 acres, and disire--
tion should ho given to tin* Secretary
of the Interior to cut it down still
further where it is apparent that in
tensive cultivation is practicable, A
farm of 320 acres, if Irrigated, Is en
tirely too large for 11 single family,
and Its possession simply prevents
other settlors from coming Into the
country. Furthermore, It makes land
monopoly easy and Induces specula
I lon.
Actual living nt home on the land
for not less than two years should
be required ls*fore palcnt. Your
Commission can not understand why
any settler should be given both u
homestead nnd a desert entry, either
of which without the other should suf
fice, under the law. to rarnlsh him a
home. The desert-land law rhould
be n means of settlement, and actual
bona tide residence should be rigidly
required.
'I lie actual production of a valuable
crop should l.« required on not less
than one fourth the area of the en- 1
I try. At present, as a rule, the great-j
‘er part of the desert entries are
! never actually watered. Hundreds
of desert entries xven* examined by
members of the Commission In the
last year, and the groat majority of
them were found to Is* uninhabited,
unlrrlgiited. uncultivated, and with
no Improvements other than a fence. 1
This applies both to desert entries up- j
on which 11 final proof is now being
offered and to other entries to which
tit It* has been given.
It is a fact that a very small pro
portion of the land disposed of under j
| tlie terms of tin* law has actually:
I I Ih*cii reclaimed and irrigated, and
11 scrutiny of many hundreds of desert
entries now passing to final proof
shows that In the major!tv of eases,
these lands are not aetnnllv utilised,
htit are being held for speculative
purposes, owing to several opuses
among which are the laxity of some
iof the rtato laws governing nppro
' hriatlon of water for Irrigation pur
poses and the Insufficiency of the
water supply, considerable difficulty
has been encountered In administer
ing that nrovtsJnn of the desert land
laws which requires a claimant to
have a permanent water right based
on prior appropriation. Very often
i the waters of a stream are exhausted -
Ihv other appropriators before the
time when the claimant goes
through the form of posting notices,
recording his claim, and complvlng
. wth other essentials of the state law.
I Notwithstanding this, be furnishes
the testimony of two witnesses that
I the water thus appropriated has
I been used in reclaiming bli land, am]
that the supply Is adequate for that
1 purpose. While this showing, on its
■ face, indicates a compliance with
1 law, the fact remains that the water
supply, if any at all, is not sufficient
• to permanently reclaim the land.
Tin- ownership of stock in a pro
jected irrigation ditch which does
1 not exist in fact, or the ownership
; of a pump temporarily Installed, has
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 the Commis
sion which are utterly inadequate to
irrigate a square rod, and upon the
strength of such works patent has
frequently then issued to 32U 'amis of
land.
Frauds committed through conven
tional forms of perjury and through
lack of proper verification of tiie
facts as to the recllamation of the
land Justify the taking of immediate
and radical steps in the revision of
the law. The law should absolutely
require an actual adequate water
supply, an<l the limits as to quantity
should be defined.
In siiort, the law should render im
possible the continuance of the
.iractlces 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
lie lands throughout the West are un
suitable for cultivation under the
present known conditions of agricul
ture, and so located that they can
not Is* reclaimed by Irrigation. They
are, and probably always must be,
of chief value for grazing. There are
it is estimated, more than 300,000,-
! 000 acres of public grazing land, an
area approximately equal to one-fifth
i 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 nre almost desert In
another. There are also vast tracts
of wooded timbered land in which
grazing has much Importance, and
until a further classification of the
! public lands is made it will be im
possible to give with exactness the
total acreage. The extent is so vast
nnd the commercial Interests In
volved so great as to demand in the
highest degree the wise and conser
vative handling of these vast re
sources.
It Is a matter of tin* first import
ance to know whether these grazing
lands are being used in the best way
possib’e for tlx* continued devel p
ment of the country or whether
I they are being abused under a sys
tem which is detrimental to such de
velopment and by which the only
present value of the laud Is being
r: pldly destroyed.
At present tlie vacant public lands
are theoretically open commons, free
to all citizens but as 11 matter of fact
a large proportion have been parceled
. out by more or less definite compacts
j or agreements among the various in
terests. These tacit agreements are
continually being violated- The
I sheepmen and oattlement are In 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 uihiii by lnige bands of
sheep, forced by drought to migrate.
ROCBAMBRAU ST A TUB.
A Heroic Bronze Figure of France’s
Field Marshall Standing In Front
of White House.
One of the very striking nnd majes
tic bits of bronze In Washington is 1
tlie Roehambeau statue which stands
lu what was called Jackson Square,
' v - — ‘
ROCHAMBEAU STATUE.
Stands Opposite the White House,
because of the presence there of
Clark Mills’ equestrian statue ot
(leneral Jackson, later called Lafa
vette Square, because of the erection
there of the great Lafayette statue,
and now very frequently called
Roehambeau Fnrk because of this
elegant example of art The statue
was unveiled In 1002. It stands di
neetlv In front of the White House.
The movement for the erection In
the National Capital of a statue of
Roehambeau was in recognition of
♦he dose til's between France and the
United Sttstos. This sentiment
was particularly strong after the
close of the Spanish-American war
in view of the services rendered In
the interest of peace by Usmben the
French Ambassador. The govern
ment of France had also Jnst sens
’ over two superb Sevres vases as a
gift to President McKinley. Con
gress appronrtated s7,fioo for the
> statue. Rocbamhean commanded
tbe French force* sent to the <*a»-
. stance of the young republic of the
United States and which co-operated
. with the Continental army at York
, town.
Roehambeau statue !s exeel
. lent art. The French field marshal In
I the full uniform of his rank standi
, with one arm outstretched evidentiv
I 1 pointing to the distant American coJ
onr which he Is about to help.
. At the base is a symbolic figure. It
f< the figure of a woman hurrying
! forward with the flag of France
5 borne aloft tn the right hand. Re
neath her feet Is the prow of a shtn
r snggestive of the force whteb France
has sent across tbe seas to ah* tbe
» rconbltc of the United States In tbe
t da vs of Its infancy. Relow are the
! oITl! 1 *>*noe and the United
Instates linked together.
COFFEE WAR
?
i
1
> The Coffee Importers and Roasters are Attacking
■ POSTUM FOOD COFFEE
k
k
All Along the Line.
r
“THERE’S A REASON.”
►
Many people have found out the truth about old
• fashioned coffee.
They have overcome disease caused by it.
i The plan was easy and sure.
Quit Coffee and use Postum.
Proof with one’s self 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
i 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 lose, if not we take the money 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, made on scientific lines,
“for a reason’’ and the plain unvarnished truth told
everv dav and all the time. These factories are visited
by thousands of people every month. They are shown
info everv cranny and examine every ingredient and
A Few Overlooks.
“I mot an old friend in town to-day”
said Mr. Shannon to his wife one even
ing, on his return from business,” and
he told me he expected to be married
in a week.
' Ten minutes later, after his wife had
finished asking questions, Mr. Shannon
wrote as follows to his friend Stodder:
”I)ear Stodder:—l thought I was a
newspaper reporter, but please answer
t lie following questions by return
mail. They cover some points I neg
lected to get from you.
“What is the name of the girl you
are to marry?
“Where does she live?
“What does her father do?
“lias he any money?
“Was it love at first sight?
“Are you very much in love with
her?
“How old is she?
“Where are you going to live?
“Did you ask her personally, or
write your proposal?
"Havn't you proposed to other girls?
“How did you and I come to be such
friends?
‘Where are you going for your
honeymoon?
“Is it that tall girl you took to the
theatre one night last winter?
“Why didn’t I ask you all this when
von told me?
“Were you so excited you couldn’t
give me any information, but simply
had to talk about getting married?
“A prompt reply will help me to give
my wife some much-desired informa
tion. Next time you tell me you are
going to be married, don't think that
is the really important feature about
lt.-Yours hastily, Shannon.”
A darky was asked why he went
away, and gave the following lucid an
gWer •
~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.”
' There is a group of islands south of
New Zealand called the Seven Sisters,
r said to be subject to a practically
’ coustant rainfall. The same condi
* tious exist in Terra del Fuego, except
' that the rain often takes the form of
‘ sleet or snow.
i _______________________
h
- t
! g T iTaTp*** L d O*C K S The NEWEST THINGS for CHRISTMAS
! LYNCH PERFECTION WEDDING (and other) PRESENTS
l_ YAUE PUKCIPU are our Lock Buckles for use on Trunks, Telescopes, Cases of all kinds,
q L Portfolios, Messenger Bags, etc.
I 7 They are the only Lock Buckles with the Yale Principle
EL and are made of .Manganese Bronze, which looks like gold,
I '4 is stronger tban steel and will not rust.
* Locks alone (easily attachable). Small. 50c; medium, 75c;
k. large, 11.00. (Beautifully hand engraved and including monogram,
P 25c extra); with strap for trunk. $1.50 ; for case. SI.OO prepaid and re
tumabie if not delighted. Booklet on request. Salesmen and sales
„ women wanted everywhere, *
51 yJE lynch MFG. CO. - Madison, Wis,
;|A Tension
Indicator;:
if IS JUST i;
| WHAT
THE i
WORD
|:
J • indicates < I
\ ► j the state j I
J ► of the tension at a glance. *\
\ ► Its use means time saving j J
J > and easier sewing. .* < <!
{► It's our own invention j!
J > and is found only on the j!
| White jj
;| Sewing Machine* j:
\ ► - We have other striking *
J ► improvements that appeal to < I
J ► the careful buyer. Send for < l
; > our elegant H. T. catalog. < !
: | Ware Seeing Machine Co. «:
! | Cleveland, Ohio. 3 [
BULL DOC SUSPENDERS V
50 cent* everywhere. Will Outwear Three Ordinary Kind* _
Uaor in and Heavy Weight*, for Man and Youth. Lxtra lengths,
*? Tjy same price. With more elastic, warranted non-rusting metal parts, and
.jSpFSJ ah««4utely unbreakable, ...ft, pliable Bull Dor leather ends, they are
POSITIVELY THE BEST SUSPENDER MADE.
k J Ts tou dealer cannot supply rou. we will, postpaid, for 50 cent*.
■maL HEWES a POTTER, Largest Suspender and Belt Maker*
J*ept. 64, 87 LIKCOLH BT . BOSTON KABB ,n lhc worW
r V.lu»bl. Bookirt, •• CrtiU uul Buip«lder Sty Im," tKOI nqMrtk 1
process. Each visitor sees 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 thing 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 absolutely 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 weak eyes (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.
*
PENSIONS.
Over one Million Dollars
allowed our clients during the last
six years.
Over one Thousand
claimsallowed through us dur
ing the last six mouths. 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. Local Magis
trates pecuniarily
benefited by sending us
claims.
TABER & WHITMAN CO.,
Warder Bld’g, Washington, D. C.
SILOS
Pine, Fir, Cypress and Yellow Pine.
Write for Catalogue.
Eagle Tank Go., 281 N. Green Bt.,
Chicago, 111.
Jiton&ljmnlin
PIANOS AND ORGANS A
standard of the would