Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1854-08-02
The Homestead and Graduation Bill.

The HOEiestead and Graduation Bill.
The following are the homestead provisions of Mr.
Hunters bill, which passed the United States Sem
ate on Thursday last:
Sec 8. That any free achite person who is at the
head ola family who has arrived at the age of 81
years. and capable of holding lands under the laws
of the State in which the lands lie SHALL from and
after the passage of this act be entitled to enter
quarter section OF vacant and unappropriated public
lands, and no more which may, at the time the ap-
plicaton is made, be subject to private entry or
quantity equal thereto to be located in one body in
conformity with the legal subdivisions of the public
lands.
Sec. 9. That the person applying for the benefit
of the eighth section of this act shall upon applica-
ton to the register of the land office in which he or
she is about to make such entry, make affidavit be-
fore said register that he she is the head of fam
lily, or is twenty-one years of age and that such ap
plicaon is made for his her exclusive use ben
eft and those specially mentioned therein, and not
either directly indirectly for the use or benefit of
any other person or persons whomsoever, and upon
making the affidavit herein required and filing it
with the register, he she SHALL thereupon be per-
mitted to enter the quantity of land specified pro-
vided however that certificate shall he given or
patent issued therefor until the expiration of five
years from the date of such entry and until the per-
persons entitled to land so entered shall have
paid for the same twenty-five cents per acre; or, if
the lands have been in market more than twenty
| years, twelve and half cents per acre."
The graduation clause of the same bill is as fol-
lows:
| That the minimum price of the public lands of
the U. States shall remain unchanged until the COM
mencement of the fiscal year, beginning July first,
eighteen hundred and ftyve, but after that period
the price shall be reduced according to the following
scale: All lands which shall have been offered at
public sale, and remaining unsold five years, shall
be reduced to the price of dollar per acre all
lands which shall have been offered at public sale,
and remaining unsold ten years, shall be reduced to
seventy cents an acre and all lands which shall
have been offered at public sale, and remaining un-
sold fifteen years. shall be sold at fifty cents an acre
and all lands which shall have been offered at pub
lie sale, and remaining unso!d twenty years shall
thereafter be reduced to price Of twenty five cents
an acre. and all lands which shall have been offered
at public sale, and shall remain unsold thirty years
thereafter, shall be reduced price of twelve and
| q half cents acre Provided That the graduated
process, from fifty cents to twenty five cents an
acre, shall not take place until tie lands in the fifty
cent class shall have been exposed to sale for period
Of at least two years, at the price of fifty cents per
acre; after which the price of the said lands shall
be reduced to twenty-five cents per acre"
The following is the vote of the Senate by which
| Mr. Hunters substitute for the original homestead
bill adopted and the bill ordered to its cngross
ment, no Democratic Senator voting in the negative
YEAs-Messrs. Adams, Atchson, Bright, Bcnjs
min, Brodhcad, Brown, Butler, Cass, Clay, Dodge O
Wisconsin, Dodge of Iowa, Douglas Evans, Ttzpa
trick, Gcyer, Gwn, Houston, Hunter, james, John
son, Jones Of Iowa, Mallory, Mason, Petit, Rusk
| Sebastian, Shields, Sldcn Stuart, Thompson
of Kentucky, Thompson OF New Jersey, Toombs
Toucey, and Walkcr-34.
NAYs-Mcssrs. Allen, Badger, Bell, Chase, Daw
son. Fessenden, Fish, Foot, Gillette, Jones of Tenn.
Pratt, Sumner, and Wade-13.
On Friday the Senate finally passed the Home
stead BILL by vote Of ae yeas to l2 nays, having
deprived it of its homestead feature in its titc-ma
king that read GA bill to graduate and reduce th'
price of the public lands and for other purposes"
This bill will have to be acted on by the House
and, as Congress will adjourn on Friday next, it il
not probable that it will be passed