THE CALL OF THE LAND 



there is one objection which must be ad- 

 mitted to be serious in the extreme the fear 

 that leasing would interfere with the tak- 

 ing up of homesteads. Even if allowed by 

 law to enter upon leased land at option, and 

 have it immediately left out of leases, home- 

 steaders might not care to encounter the 

 opposition of powerful lease holders by 

 trenching on their preserves, so that the 

 homestead right might, in spite of the law, 

 be in effect a dead letter. 



This, all admit, would be a lamentable 

 result. In his proclamation of August 7, 

 1885, following up the "no fence" Act of 

 Congress approved the preceding February 

 25th, President Cleveland declared: "The 

 public policy demands that the public do- 

 main shall be reserved for the occupancy 

 of actual settlers in good faith, and that our 

 people who seek homes upon such domain 

 shall in no wise be prevented by any wrong- 

 ful interference with the safe and free entry 

 thereof to which they may be entitled." 



Few, probably, are aware of the rapidity 

 with which homesteading is now going on, 



58 



