Demoine courier., 1854-08-17
THE HOMESTEAD BILL.

49, ~ WV "bts wv a
YRAs--Messrs. Adams, Aicliison,
Bright, Brodhead, Brown. Butler. Cass.
Chase, Clay, Dodge, of Wis. Dodge of
Iowa; Douglas, Evans, Fitzpatrick, Gey-
er. Gwin, Hamlin, Houston, Hunter,
James, Johnson, Jones. Of Iowa; Nal.
Tory, Mason, Rusk, Sebastian, Shields,
Slidell. Stuart. Sumner. Thompson, of
New Jersey; Toomhs, Toucey, Walker
and Weller-36.
NAYs-Messrs. Badger, Bell, Daw-
son. Fessenden, Fish, Foot, Gillette,
Jones, of Tenn; Pearce, Pratt, and
Rockwell-ll.
AN ACT
To provide a homestead for actual set.
tiers, to graduate the price Of the pub
Tic lands, and for other purposes.
BE il enacted by the Senate aud House
Of Representatives of the United States
OF America in Congress assembled,
That the minimum prices of the public
lands of the United States shall remain
unchanged until the commencement Of
the fiscal year, beginning July LIST, 1855.
but after that period the price shall be
reduced according to the following scale;
ALI lands which shall have been offered
at public sale, and remaining unsold five
years, shall be reduced 10 ihe price of
81 per acre; all lands which shall have
been offered at public sale, and remain
ing unsold 10 years, shall be reduced to
rs cents per acre; and all lands which
shall have been offered at public sale,
and remaining unsol6 Is years, shah be
offered al SO cents per acre; and all lands
which shall have been offered at public
sale. and remaining unsold 20 years,
shall thereafter be reduced to a price of
25 cents per acre; and all lands which
shall have been offered at public sale,
and shall remain unsold 80 years there
after, shall be reduced to a price of l2a
cents per acre: Provided, That the grad.
uating process, from SO cts to 25 Cts per
acre, shall moi take place until the lands
in the SO cent class shall have been ex-
posed to sale for a period of at leas, two
years, after which the price of The said
lands shall be reduced TO % per acre.
SIC. 2. Aud be il further enacted,
That whenever a State shall desire to
acquire a pre-emptlon right to all the
lands OF any certain class and price, as
provided in the first section Of this act,
within its borders, for other purposes
than railroad or canal, and signify the
same TO the President of The U. STATES,
by an act of its legislature ut a general
session, duly passed and authenticated,
il shall be granted on the following terms,
and in the names hereinafter prescribed:
lha, said State may fix the price Of said
land above that prescribed IN the first
section of this act reservlng the excess
to itself: Provided, That The title shall
not pass 10 the purchaser until he has
paid the price fixed in the said frs, sec.
tIon to the United States; which upon
said payment and The presentation OF a
certificate Of title from the Stale, duly
authenticated. shall, through proper of
fcers, issue a paten, for said land to the
purchaser: Procided, however, That the
lands shall be subject to the same legal
subdivisions in the sale and survey as
are provided by law, nor shall The sites
OF Notifications, navy and dock yards,
arsenals, magazines. and other public
buildings be considered as included in
the provisions of this act; and, Provided
further, That any State which shall ac-
cept the provisions of this act, and shall
pre- empt any lands under il, shall take
them IN full of the five per cent. fund.
thereafter to become due from The pro
ceeds of said lands; bu, the State thus
accepting the provisions Of this and the
proceeding section shall take the lands a,
the price fixed for each particular class,
except that no lands shall be sold by
them for 25 cents an acre until they shall
have been previously subject to entry
through a period Of two years a, the
price of so cen, per acre, to be paid .o
the United States.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted,
That whenever a State has chartered or
shall charter a railroad or canal 10 run
through the lands of the United States,
or when any company shall have been
organized for that purpose, under any
general law Of any State, and such State
shall accept the benefit of the provisions
hereinafter prescribed by an aci to be
passed at a general session of its legisla,
lure, upon Cue notice being given of the
fact 10 the Secretary of the Interior il
shall be his duty to setapari. Of the pub
lie lands. 1850 acres per mile Of railroad
or canal, within IL miles on each eide
\ and as neal the route of such railroad OF
canal as possible, and The same with.
drawn from entry by public advertise
ment of The Secretary Of The Interior
except in the manner and form herein.
after prescribed. The price Of these
lands shall be one dollar per acre fol
those which have not yet been offered a
public sale, or for private entry less thar
five years; rs cents for those which have
been subjec, to entry more than five
years, and less han 10 years; SO cents
for those which have been SO subject te
entry more than 10 years and less than
20 years, and 25 cen,s per acre FOR those
which have been SO subjec. to entry more
than 20 years: ProUideG', Tha. the price
which the lands bear when first Sc
apart, shall remain uniform and be sub,
ject to no graduation during The 10 year.
| herain nreacrihed as tna nerioR with,