The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-01-27
The Homestead BIN.

The Homestead Bill.
1t viii be remembered that, at the last |
session of Congress, Senator Hunter
brought forward a bill entitled the home
stead bill, which was not passed. The
principal provisions of it were as follows:
1. A reduction or graduation of the
prices of the public lands.
2. Presumption rights, giving the first
right to the States respectively in which
the public lands lie, to the whole of them,
at the reduced and graduated prices.
8. Presumption grants of land to States
for railroads and canals at the reduced
and graduated prices.
4. Presumption rights to hold good for
five years to actual settlers, heads of fam
lilies, for one hundred and sixty acres
each, at the lowest reduction of twenty
five cents per acre, or twelve and half
cents for such land as may have been in
market over twenty years.
4. In the event of any difficulty be-
tween the Postmaster General and rail-
road corporations about carrying the
mails, it provided for their adjustment
between the Postmaster General and the
Governor of the State in which such
railroad might be.
6. Lands purchased by any State
should be applied by said State for con-
struction of railways and canals for which
they are reserved. No lands were in
cluded to which the Indian title had not
been extinguished.
7. The act in no way to apply to town
or village property, nor to be SO con-
strued as to interfere with any pre-emp-
ton claim, or to lands reserved for
schools, salines, or reserved sections for
railroad grants or other purposes, under
any existing laws of the United States.
8. Any free white person who is the
head of family, or who has arrived at
the age of twenty-one years, and is eapa
BILE ofholding lands under the laws of the
State in which the lands lie, was entitled
to enter one quarter section, under the
provisions in relation to Indian titles, DC.
9. ANY person applying for the bene-
fits of the foregoing eight sections, to
show that he is entitled to receive their
benefits i. e. that he or she is the head
of family, twenty -one years of age, DC.
AS substitute for the above bill, Mr..
Dawson, of Pa, has offered another, SYN
opsis of which will be found below.
The first section provides that any free
person who is the head of q family, or
who has arrived at the age of twenty -one
years, shall be entitled to enter one hun
dred and sixty acres of the unappropriated
public lands, at the rate of Al cents per
acre, to be paid at the expiration of FIVE
years from the date of such entry.
The second section provides that the
applicant shall make affidavit before the
register that he or she is the head of
family, or is twenty one years of age, and
that the application is made for his or her
exclusive use and benefit, and those spe-
cially mentioned. That no patent shall
be issued therefor until the expiration of
FIVE years from the date of entry; and
upon proof BY two witnesses that the per-
son making such entry, or his heirs, have
resided upon and cultivated said land. and
have alicnated no part thereof. That in
case of the death of both the father and
mother, leaving an infant child or chill
dren, the right and fee shall inure to
their benefit-and the executor, or guar
dian may, within two years after the
death Of the surviving parent, sell the
said lands for the benefit Of said infants,
and for no other purpose. The purchaser
acquires absolute title, and is entitled to
the patent.
The third section provides that the
register shall note all applications on the
tract book -
The fourth section provides that If it
shall be proven, after due notice to the
settler, that the person making the settle
ment shall have abandoned the said entry
for more than six months at any time,
said lands shall revert to the government.
The fifth section provides that any In
dividual now resident of any one of the
States or Territories, and not a citizen,
but at the time of the passage of this act
shall have filed his declaration OF inten-
ton, and shall become citizen OF the
United States before the expiration of the
FIVE years, shall be placed upon an equal
footing with the native-born citizens.
The, sixth section provides that no indi-
viduai shall be permitted to make more
than one entry; that the Commissioner of
the General Land Office shall issue the me-
cessary rules and regulations to carry this
act into effect that the registers and re-
-eeisers shall receive the same fees as they
would receive if the lands were entered
money, one half to be paid by the appli-
cant at the time of making the appiiea-
ton, and the other half on the issue of The
certificate that the locations shall be
confined as near as practicable 70 altern-
ate quarter sections. This act shall not
be construed TO interfere with pre- emp
ton rights. That persons owning less
than one hundred and sixty acres may
enter of the public iands, at the rate Of
fourteen and one-haif cents, adjoining
their land, aquantisy which, when added
10 their own, viii make I60 acres.
Choose Coed company. ~
l. Young men are in general bat little
aware how much their Fepueation is af-
aced By the company they keep. The
character Of their associates Is SOON re-
gaRded IS their own. If they seek the
society ofythe worthy, i eleystes them in
public estimation, as i Is IN evidence that
they respect Others On the contrary,
intimacy With persons of bad character
always sinks young man in the eye of
the public. The reason for Al of this is
plain map shows his taste and neral
feelings In the selection of his associafes.