The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-12-21
The Homestead Bill.


Representatives last week. This bill
avoids the objections made by the Presi>
dent in his veto of the bill passed by the
Thirv-ff Congress, and is likely to be-
come law:
RILL TO SECURE uoMEsTEADs 10 ACTUAL
SETTLERS on TIE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
BE 1t enacted by tie Senate and House
of REPRESENTATIVES of the United States of
1merica in Congress assembled, That any
person Who is the bead If a family, or who
has arrived at the age of twenty Que years,
and is a citizen of the United States, or
who shall have fled bis intention to be
come such as required by the raturallza-
ton laws of the United States, shall, from
and after the passage of this act, be en-
tilted to enter, free of cost, one hundred
and sixty acres of unsppropriated public
lands, upon which said person may have
filed a pre- emption claim, or which may,
at the time the application is made, be
subject to pre- emption at one dollar and
twenty-five cents, or less, per acre; to be
located in L dy, in conformity to the lie
gal sub divisions of the public lands, and
after the same shall have been surveyed.
SEC. 2.-And be it further enacted,
That the person applying for the benefit
OF this act shall, upon application to the
register of the land office in which he or
she is about to make an entry, make affi>
davlt before the said register or receiver
that he or she is the head of family, or
Is twenty one years of age, aud that such
application is made fer his or her exclu
slye use and benefit, aud those specially
mentioned in tbs act, and not either di
! rectly or Indirectly for the use or benefit
of any other person or persons whomso-
ever, and upon filing the affidavit with the
register or receiver, be or she shall there
upon be permitted to enter the quantity
OF land specified. Provided, hoaceuer,
That no certificate shall be given, or pat
ent issued therefor, until the expiration of
tive years from the date of such entry
and if, at the expiration of such time, or
at any time within two years thereafter,
the person making such entry-or if he
be dead, his widow; or in case Of her
deat4 his heirs or devisees or in case of
widow making such entry, her heirs or
devlsees, in case of Der death-shall prove
by two credible witnesses that he, she .r
they have resided upon and cultivated the
same for the term of five years immed-
ateiy succeeding the time of filing the af-
iidavit aforesaid, then, in such case, he,
she, or they at that time citizen of the
United States, shall on payment of ter
dollars, be entitled to patent, as in other
cases provided for by law ..uu provided
further that IN case of the death of both
father and mother, leaving an infant chic,
or children, under twenty one years of
age, the right and fee shall enure to the
benefit Of said infant, child or children !;
and the executor, administrator or guar
dian may, at any time within two years
after the death of the surviving parent,
and in accordance with the laws of the
State in whick such children, for the time
being, have their domicil, sell said land
for the benefit of said infants, but for no
| other purpose and the purchaser shall
acquire the absolute title by the purchase,
and be entitled to patent from the U. S.
on payment of the office fees and sum of
money, herein specified.
SEC. 3. Ind be 1t further enacted, That
the register of the land office shall note
all such applications on the tract books
and plats of his office, and keep register
of all such entries, and make return there
of to the General Land Office, together
with the proof upon which they have been
| founded.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That
all land acquired under the provisions of
this act shall in no event become liable to
the satisfaction of any debt or debts con,
tracted prior to the issuing of the patent
therefor.
SEC 5. 1nd be 1t further enacted, That
if, at any time after the filing of the affi-
davit, as required in the second section of
this act, and before the expiration of the
five years aforesaid, it shall be proven,
after due notice to the settler,to the sat
isfacton of the register of the land office,
that the person having filed such affidavit
shall have actually changed his or her res
idence, or abandoned the said entry for
more than six months at any time, then,
and in that event, the land SO entered sh all
revert to the Government
SEC 6. And be 1t further enacted, That
no individual shall be permitted to make
more than one entry under the provisions
of this act and that the Commissioner Of
the General Land Office is hereby required
to prepare and issue such rules and regu-
lations, consistent with this act, as shall
be necessary and proper to carry its pro
visions into effect; aud that the registers
and receivers of the several land offices
shall be entitled to receive the same COM
pensation for any lands entered under the
provisions Of this act, that they are now
entitled to receive, when the same quantity
Of land is entered with money, one half to
be paid by the person making the app,ica
ton, at the time of so doing, and the other
half on the issue Of the certificate, by the
person to whom it may be issued. Pro-
yided. That nothing contained in this act
shall be so construed as to impair or in
terfere, in any manner whatever, with ex-
listing presumption rights And provided
further, Ths, all persons who may have
filed their applications for -em2tion
right prior to the passage Of this act,
shall be entitled to all privileges of the
act.
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