The Fight for Homestead Security in Whitman County
Settlers organize to petition the new Secretary of the Interior for land titles, dismissing reports that they oppose the Democratic administration.
A non-partisan meeting of holders of lieu lands was held in Palouse City on Saturday to discuss the appointment of Hoke Smith as Secretary of the Interior. William Goodyear, editor of the Palouse City News, read a letter from James Hamilton Lewis vouching for Smith’s integrity, which countered reports in Republican papers claiming the settlers opposed Smith. The attendees unanimously passed resolutions expressing confidence in President Grover Cleveland and the appointment of Hoke Smith, hoping for a fair hearing on their land title claims. Twelve Populists, eighteen Democrats, two Republicans, and four Mugwumps signed the resolution. A subsequent meeting in Garfield was called for March 15 to organize a committee to travel to Washington, D.C., to press their case directly to the Secretary.
“We hereby express our confidence in the wisdom and integrity of his excellency, Grover Cleveland, president of the United States, and heartily indorse the appointment of the Hon. Hoke Smith.”
The struggle for secure land tenure and the fear of railroad-backed influence in the Department of the Interior echo modern concerns over the privatization of public resources. Just as these settlers organized to lobby Washington, D.C. from afar, the tension between local land use and federal oversight remains a defining feature of Pacific Northwest civic life.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.