82 



Sierra Cluh Bulletin. 



FORESTRY NOTES. 



Edited by Professor William R. Dudley. 



The most notable discussion of the present 

 Repeal Three ^^^^ ^^^^ ^.^^^^j Desert Land Act, 



ANGEROUS commutation clause of the Homestead Act, 



and the Timber and Stone Act. The central 

 idea of these and similar acts relating to the Government land 

 sales has been the one of the Homestead Law, that of helping the 

 home-builder. Our citizens, both native and adopted, have ob- 

 tained, at easy terms under these laws, small tracts of public land 

 sufficient for their support, and the prosperity of the country 

 has been built on the prosperity of small, independent homes, 

 established by the hundred thousand among the common people 

 in this way. The laws were framed however to encourage the 

 settler rather than to bar out the speculator. They were framed 

 also when good land was plenty and speculation in wild land 

 could not therefore be very profitable. At present, however, in 

 the language of the late message of President Roosevelt, — 



"The character and uses of the remaining public lands 

 differ widely from those of the public lands which Con- 

 gress had especially in view when these laws were passed. 

 The rapidly increasing rate of the disposal of public 

 lands is not followed by a corresponding increase in 

 home building. There is a tendency to mass in large 

 holdings public lands, especially timber and grazing 

 lands, and therefore to retard settlement." 



This has been done by skillfully evading the intent of the laws. 

 Under the Desert Land Law, for instance, a man may acquire 

 three hundred and twenty acres of irrigable land. If there are 

 four in his family, they may acquire two entire sections. The 

 law does not require he shall live on this land, but obliges him 

 to take his oath that he is taking steps to irrigate it, when he can 

 get title to it at an early date at $1.25 per acre. It is easy to see 

 that these people may act as the agents of those who wish to 

 acquire large holdings for grazing or speculative purposes, 

 and sell to such monopolies their easily acquired land. 



It will be seen that this law working in this way may seri- 

 ously interfere with the operations of the National Irrigation Law 



