Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-05-27
THE HOMESTEAD Bill.

House OF Representatives on Wednesday. Two
of the prominent features Of the bill are these
that it excludes from its benefits parties already
in the possession Of land, or who may sell land
with an intention to obtain free grant; and that
the land acquired under its regulations shall moi
be held liable for debts contracted prior TO the
issuance of the patent The following is the
bill itself :--Balt. Sun.
Be it enacted, &c., That any person who is
the head Of family and a citizen of the United
States, or any person who is the head of fam
lily, and had become citizen prior to the first
day Of January, eighteen hundred and ffty-two,
as required by the naturalization laws of the
United States, shall, from and after the passage
OF this act, be entitled to enter, free OF COST one
quarter section of vacant and unappropriated
public lands, or quantity equal thereto, 70 be
located in body in conformity with the legal
Subdivisions of the public lands, and after The
same shall have been surveyed.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the
person applying for the beneft Of this act shall,
upon application to the Register Of the Land Of
fee, in which he or she is about to make such
entry, make affidavit before the said Register
that he or she is the head Of family, and is not
the owner of any estate in land at the time of
such application, and has not disposed of any
estate in land TO obtain the benefits of this act;
and, upon making the affidavit as above required,
and filing the affidavit with the register, he or
she shall thereupon be permitted to enter the
quantity Of land already specified, Provided,
hocerer, That no certificate shall be given or
patent issued therefor until the expiration Of
five years from the date Of such entry; and it, at
the expiration of such time, the person making
such entry, or if he be dead, his widow, or, in
case of her death, his heirs or devisee; or in
case Of a widow making such entry, her heirs
or devisee, in case Of her DEATH shall prove by
two credible witnesses that he, she or they have
continued to reside upon and cultivate said land,
and still reside upon the same, and have not
alienated the same, or any part thereof, then in
such case, he, she, or they shall be entitled to a
patent as in other cases provided for by law:
find propided, further, That in case of the death
OF both father and mother, leaving an infant
child or children under fourteen years of age,
the right and the fee shall enure to the benefit
of said infant child or children; and the execu-
tor, administrator or guardian, may, at any time
within two years after the death of the surviving
parent, sell said land for the benefit Of such in
fants, but for no other purpose; and the purcha-
ser shall acquire the absolute title by the pur-
chase, and he entitled to patent from the Uni
ted States.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the
register of the land office shall note all such ap
plications on the tract books and plats of his Of
fee, and keep register Of all such entries, and
make return thereof to the general land Office to-
gether with the proof upon which they have
been founded.
Sec 4. And be it further enacted, That all
land acquired under the provisions Of this act
shall in no event become liable to the satisfac-
tion of any debt or debts contracted prior to the
issuing the patent therefor.
Sec. s. And be it further enacted that if at
any time after filling the affidavit required
in the second section of this act, and be-
fore the expiration Of the five years aforesaid,
it shall be proven by two or more respectable
witnesses, upon oath, to the satisfaction of the
Register Of the land office, that the person hav-
ing filled such affidavit shall have actually
changed his or her residence, or abandoned the
said entry for more than six months at any one
time, then and in that event, the land so entered
shall revert back to the Government, and be
disposed Of as other public lands are now by
law.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That if
any individual, now q resident of any of the
States or Territories and not a citizen Of the
United States, but at the time Of making such
application for the benefit of this act shall have
fled declaration OF intention as required by
the naturalization laws Of the United States,
and shall become a citizen of the same before
the issuance Of the patent, as made and provi-
ded for in this act, shall be placed upon an equal
footing with the native-born citizens Of the Uni
ted States.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That no
individual shall be permitted to make more than
one entry under the provisions of this act; and
thaG the Commissioner of the General Land Of
6ee s hereby required to prepare and issue such
PuleO and regulations consistent with this act as
ahsll be necessary and proper to carry its pro-
visions into effect; and that the registers and re-
cSivers of the several land Offices shall be enti-
lied to the same compensation for any lands pat
ented under the provisions of this act, that they
are now entitled to receive when the same guam
tity Of land is entered with money, to be paid by
the party to whom Che patent shall be issued;
PROVIDED, howeper, That all persons entering
land under the provisions of this act shall, as
near as may be practicable, in making such Ell
tries, be confined to each alternate quarter Sec
ton, and no land subject to private entry; .dnc
provided further, That nothing in this act shal
~ 90 sasstaass IS *s ;sFsss & Interfere II snSS
manner whatever with existing preemptioI
rights.
"TELEoRAM." I've noticed some time since
suggestion that this word be used for the awk
ward circumlocution Of 'telegraphic dispatch.
There is good sense as well as correct etymolc-
Ry in the idea, and we shall avail ourselves o
It's convenience. Telegram is the proper wor'
to express the thing which is written by tn
feIe0raph. the latter word siRnifyinp from il