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Show CONTUMACIOUS OFFICIALDOM. It certainly must be extremely exas perating to Senator Borah to find that after he makes such a fight as h9 has made to get an amended homeotead bill enacted into law for the benefit of homesteaders in this Western country, that the General Land Office construes con-strues the rights of the homesteader home-steader in the harshest possible possi-ble manner. One tvould sup. DOBS 'is to the passage of this amended homestead law that the department would give tho home3taders the benefit of it in any filings made prior to its passage. But no! The construction of the General Land Office i8 that homesteaders home-steaders who made their tilings before the passage of this law are in a clasB by themselves, still held under the old statute, and that only those who file since the passage of the Borah law are to get its benefits. All this is in strict line with the restrictive and paralyzing paralyz-ing constructions that we are getting so many of from the General Land Office, Of-fice, in recent years. Everything that will Tetard the settlement and develop-ment develop-ment of this Western country, everything every-thing that will tend to the discomfort, inconvenience, anrl restriction of the homesteader a? to his rights under the law is put into effect. The very purpose of Senator Borah's proposition wa to give relief to the homesteaders all of them. There was no idea, in Senator Borah's mind that any such division ur is now made In the General Laud Office as between former tilings and lilmtJv n mad,- v. SI I ' iie put into operation; and to Bee BUCh a ruling made must be exasperating to him in the highest degree Accordingly, According-ly, he baa taken the ucuessarj tdp to bave that ruling overturned by law He Introduces bill which "ill put the old homestead tilings in tho same I ass as I the sew, with the new low operating ii their benefit, as clearly H was '" tended to do. The Sou ate has pasjiod ins bill, and we trust thai the Senator itiaj be aid.- to gel this explanatory bill Of his passed :il the earliest posBiblO day, because he will bo able to BOOH I" all i uncei ned I bal t lie ruling of I he Qeneral Land Office In this oiattei is oppressive, and thai n approaches very near to i lie borders of bad faith. |