Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-08-15

ENCOURAGEMENT TO KANSAS IMMIGRATIoN.-A
bill has recently passed Congress, been signed by
the President and is therefore the law of the land,
entitled "An act providing for surveys and grant,
ing homeseads to actual settlers in the Territories
of New Mexico, Kansas and Nebraska 1t con-
tains a provision of much Importance to those
who are thinking of taking up their homes in the
new Territories, and is altogether better home
stead bill than that of Mr.. Hunter, which has re-
Gently passed the Senate. The provision to which
we refer is as follows:
"Section2. And be it further enacted, That to
every white male citizen of the United States or
every white male above the age of twenty-one
years, who has declared his intention to become
citizen, and who was residing in said Territory
prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred
and fifty three, and who may be still residing
there, shall be, and hereby is donated quarter
section, or one hundred and sixty acres Of land,
and to every white male citizen of the United
States, or every white male above:the age of
twenty-one years, who has declared his intention
to become a citizen, and who shall have removed
or shall remove to and settle in said Territory,
between the first day of January, eighteen hum
dred and ffty-three, and the first day of January,
eighteen hundred and ffty-eight, there shall in
like manner be donated one quarter section, or
hundred and sixty acres, on condition of actual
years
Provided, however, That each of said dona-
tions shall include the actual settlement and i'm
provement Of the donee, and shall be selected by
legal subdivisions, within three months after the
survey of the land where the settlement was made
before the survey; and where the settlement was
made after the survey, then within three months
after the settlement has been made; and all per-
sons failing to designate the boundaries of their
claims within that time, shall forfeit all right to
the same."
According to this, actual white settlers, citizens
or those who have declared their intention of be-
coming such, will secure fce-simple possession
of one hundred and sixty acres of land, after
residence upon the tract, and cultivation of the
same for a period Of four years. That is, the
government will make present to the actual set
tier OF farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
among the rich lands of Kansas and Nebraska
provided he will consent to cultivate the said farm
four years, free Of rent. The New York Herald
is Of opinion that this is about equivalent to the
restoration Of the Missouri restriction and that
the South will have reason to regret the passage
of such bill, which it regards as ga godsend to
Northern Free Soil Emigration Societies." sAn
they have now to do, lit adds) is to ship their en-
igrants to Kansas and Nebraska. There is the
law-therc is the land. Every squatter, by con-
senting to cultivate for four years free Of charge,
farm out there Of one hundred and sixty acres,
secures as clear title to it as if he had paid q
thousand dollars an acre for it. Could anything
be devised better calculated to conciate the anti
slavery societies to the passage Of the Kansas Ne
braska bill than this simple act, granting FREQ
farms to actual settlers in these Territ0ries?"