Washington telegraph., 1851-05-07
MiIitary Bounty yLand--Pre-cmption Rights


GENERAL LAND OFFICE, March 81, 1851.
In order that the liberal views o: Congress, IN
passing the act of 26th September 1850, granting
Bounty Land to certain officers and soldiers who
have been engaged in the military service oil the
United States, may be carried out, and every
expense to the warrantees be avoided as lar as
possible in obtaining the benefits granted by the
gratitude of their country for faithful and patrioc
services; and at the same time to secure 10 lne
hardy and enterprsng settlers on the public iancs
the fruits of their industry and privatlons; the
Secretary of the Interior has direcled
That public notice be given to all settlers on
public lands subject to private entry, to come ior-
ward and file their oeclaratory statements, within
thirty davs after making their settlements anu
improvements required by the -empton act
of 4th September lo4l, SO as to secure their pre-
emption rights, and prevent interference by ihe
location of these warrants
And that all warrants may be located upon the
land applied for, if subject to private entry on the
Sd March, 1851, without an affidavit as to whether
said land is improved or not; and after having
been so located said warrants shall remain in the
hands of the land officers at least forty days. Ii
at the end of that time there interference by
those locations with pre-emption claims or other
wise, the warrants will be returned To this office
for patenting; but-if there is such intererence,
new location will be made. i.a
Warrantees can locate their warrants on their
claimed and offered at public sale prior 10 Sd
March, 1885, and where the minimum price Of
| the land is than one dollar and twenty-five
| cents per acre, can pay IN cash, the dIfference
| between the cost of the land, and the amount
covered by the warrant, estimating the warrant
| at 6 25 per acre. No presumption rights attach
to the alternate sections reserved to the United
| States along the routes of railroads canals.
| Where application is made to this office by the
warrantee to locate the warrant, the applicant
should designate the land district, section OF conn
! try, or particular tract which he wishes the
location made; and where the tract is specified, il
would be wel to designate several others in the
| order in which they desired, that in the
tract first selected shall have been taken, the
warrant be located upon the first Of the others
which may be vacant without further delay. In
these cases the affidavit of the applicant, taken
before an officer competent TO administer oaths,
that he is the identical person mentioned in the
warrant, must accompany the application. The
same rules must be complied with where appli-
cation by letter is made the district land officers.
! Where such application is made by the attorney,
! guardian, executor, Sc, the evidence duly certi-
fed Of their authority 10 act must also accompany
the application.
BY clause IN lst SECTION of the act making
appropriations for the support of the Government
for the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1852, ap-
proved Sd March, 1851, it is enacted that no
warrant for bounty land issued under the act Of
2Sth September, 1850, or by virtue of ;.ny other
act OF Congress, shall be located any land
which had not heretofore been brought into mar
| ket and then subject to private entry; that no
land can be located under The bounty land law
OF 2olh September, 1850, or any other law grant
| ing bounty land, except that which had been pro-
claimed and offered for sale prior to the Sd OF
March, 1851.
]. BUTTERFIEID Commissioner