Show LAND REVIEW mr holmans suspension bill A case in which good FW faith th wins wills the day mr holmans Hol roana bill to suspend the operation of the public lands laws which formed the subject of my last letter has not yet emerged from the room ol of the committee on public lands where it was sent at the time ot of its in tro whether it will be passed by the house of representatives or not is an open question some members ex p pressing the opinion that it will while others assert the contrary one member of the committee Is strongly in dined to abe opinion that the bill will be defeated in the committee roo maud those having the interests ot of the great northwest at heart should hope that his opinion will prove correct A case was decided by the assistant secretary of the interior a lew few days ago which illustrates the theory that it is good faith that counts in perfecting in entries under the preemption pre emption and ho homestead laws lafayette grim of the niobrara Nio brara land district nebraska med filed his bis declaratory statement may 25 am 1886 alleging settlement thedac the day before he established an actual residence on the land with his family june jane 1 following on january 11 1887 seven months and aad ten days from beginning residence he be submitted his en 0 and offered payment for the erlof ind d othe abe proof that his family had bad been continuously upon the land from the date when the residence thereon was first established but that grim had personally been absent from the land at ac work for two during the time the total value althe improvements prove ments was 35 alfe regist register dr and receiver relec reject teU etl the proof and refused to allow him to enter the land on the ground that his bis improvements prove ments were so BO meagre and because the law does not permit absence from the land during dunne toe six months preceding ali tills a dee decision ion was a affirmed amed by the 0 of f the general land office and the fill tiling ag was held for es cancellation tion on appeal appeals mr muldrew acting secretary of the interior found that the improve improvements ments as described by the claimant and his bis witnesses were quite as good as those usually made by preemption claimants and that thac the fur mis bing of his bis house indicated ku aaen intention to make a permanent home and that tte valuation of the improvements at 35 was very modest go ao in view of the evident good laita of the claimant he ordered the abe final papers to issue prom from this it is to be inferred that the department will not permit the fixing of a minimum of improvements and that officers in passing upon the sufficiency fici ency of proof must use discretion I 1 and aad act to in each case in accordance with the law and the facts so that justice way may be dyne to all in other they must like the mikado in gilbert and SulU vans operetta ilet let the punishment nt fit the mime HENRY N COPP |