Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-22
THE HOMESTEAD AND GRADUATION BILL.

After several weeks discusuinn the Senate yester-
day relieved ITSELF for the present. Of tAesa great
questions concerning the Public Lands, by passing
bill containing three important principles, sswill
be seen by the subjoined synopsis Of the bill, which
has yet to receive the sanction of the House Of Rep
resentatives. Under the presumption clause, it will
be observed, the States in which the lands lie can
enter them all, or any particular class Of them, at
the graduated prices.
SYNOPSIS OF THE BILL.
The first section provides that the minimum price Of
the public lands Of the United States shall be reduced a
the LIST Of July 1866 and sold according to the fol-
rowing scale For lands which shall have been offered at
public sale and remain unsod Eve years, dollar per
acre for lands which shall have been offered at public
sale and remain unsod ten years. seventyfve cents an
acre. lands which shall have been offered at public
sale and remain unsod fifteen years. fifty cents an acre
for lands which have been offered at public sale and
main unsod twenty years. twenty cents an acre and
for lands which shall have been offered public sale and
remain unsold thirty years, twelve and half cents
provided that the graduating process, from fifty
cents twenty-five cents acre, shall not take place
until the lands in the class shall have been
posed to sale for period Of at least two years. at then
price of fifty cents per acre. after which the price Of the
said lands shall be reduced to cents per
The second section provides that whenever State shall
desire to acquire presumption right to all the lands
to all the lands ofAny certain class price, within its
borders for other purposes than rairoad canal and
signnes the President Of the United States
by an act Of its Legislature they shall be granted the
following terms: That said State may fix the price Of
said lands above that prescribed in the first section Of this
act reservng the to ITSELF provided that the title
shall pass to the purchaser until he has paid price
fixed in tie said first section to the United States and
that the lands shall be subject to the legal subdv
sions in the sale and survey provided by law
and provided further that any State which shall accept
the provision of this act and shall preempt any lands
under it, shall take them in full Of the five per cent fund
to become due from the proceeds Of said lands
But any State accepting the provisions Of this and the
preceding section shall take the lands at the price fixed
for each particular class and lands shall be sold by
them for twenty-five cents until they shah have
previously subject to entry through period Of two
at the price Of per acre. be paid the
United States.
The third section provides that whenever State shall
charter railroad canal to through the lands of
the United States and such State shall accept the benefit
Of the provisions hereinafter prescribed by act to be
passed at general session Of its Legislature upon due
notice being given Of the fact to he Secretary of the In
terror 1t shall be his duty to set apart of the public lands
thousand six hundred and eighty acres per mile Of
railroad canal within twelve miles each side and
the route Of such railroad canal possible
public advertisement OF the Secretary of the Interior
cept in the and form hereinafter prescribed The
price Of these ands shall be dollar per those
which have not yet been offered public SALE for those
which have been subject to private entry less than FIVE
years. seventy cents for those which have been
subject to entry than five years and less than
fifty cents for those which have been subject
entry than ten years and less than twenty years
and twenty five cents for those which have been
SO subject to entry more than twenty years.
The fourth section provides that whenever State
i fhrNarn ruh ah unn1 80,
which the said lands lie, shall desire to do So it may
select, as preemptor oil the lands reserved at the
minimum prices designated in the third section Of this
but the State must take and pay in cash for said
land within ten years from the time when apart by
the Secretary Of the Interior otherwise its right
such Of them remain unsold shall be forfeited But
thus g = s ane
vided that title shall vest in the purchaser until he
pays the receiver Of the proper land Office Of the Uni
ted States for the Of the United Sates the price
herein fixed as the price per for which the lands
shall be sold.
The fifth section provides thai. in the event Of differ
between the Postmaster General and the railroad
company to- the compensation for carrying the mails
matter shall be settled by mutual agreement between
the Postmaster General and the Governor Of the State in
] which such railroad lies
The sixth section provides that the lands purchased by
State, under the provisions Of the third section Of
this act shall be applied by said State for the construc
ton of the railroad canal for which they
served and that lands shall be included within the
operation of this act to which the Indian title has not
4 been extngushed
The seventh section provides that this shall in
way apply to town village property either inlots
outots be construed to interfere with any pre-
empton claim, to lands reserved for schools sanes
reserved sections railroad grants other purposes
under any existing laws Of the United States any
! of the mineral lands of the United States.
The eighth section provides that any free white person.
who the head Of family, who has arrived at the
of years. and capable Of holding lands
under the laws of the State in which the lands ie if
they lie in Territory, then any person who is capable Of
acquiring presumption under the laws Of the United
States SHALL from and after the passage Of this act be
entitled to enter onequarter section Of vacant and unap
proprated public lands and more which may at the
time the application is made be subject to private entry,
or quantity equal thereto, to be located in body in
conformity with the legal subdivisions Of the public lands
provided that lands coded by any Indian treaty stpuat
for the payment to such Indians Of the nett proceeds
Of the sales Of the coded lands shall be subjected
the operations of this act except at the graduated prices
fixed therefor.
The ninth section provides that the person applying
for the benefit of the foregoing eighth section SHALL upon
application to the register Of the land Office in which he
she is about to make such entry make affidavit before
the said register that lie she is the head of family
is twenyone years of age and that such application
made for his her exclusive and benefit and those
specially mentioned herein, and not either directly in
directly for the benefit Of any other person per-
whomsoever; and upon making the affidavit here
in required and fling with the register he she shall
thereupon be permitted to enter the quantity Of land spe
provided that certificate shall be given patent
issued therefor until the expiration Of FIVE years from the
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