The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-12-14

We give below copy Of the Homestead
bill which passed the House of Representa-
tives Wednesday morning. This bill avoids
the objections made by the President in his
veto Of the bill passed by the Thirty-6fth
Congress, and is likely to become law:
BILL TO SECURE HoMEsrEADs TO ACTUAL
SETTLERS ON THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Be It enacted by the Senate and House of Rem.
resentatiues of the United States of America In
Congress assembled, That any person who is the
head OF family, or who has arrived at the age
OF twenty one years, and is citizen of the
United States, or who shall have filed his inten.
ton to become such. as required by the natu.
ralization laws of the United States, shall. from
and after the passage of this act, be entitled to
enter, free of cost, one hundred and sixty acres
of unappropriated public lands, upon which
said person may have filed pre- emption claim,
or which may, at the time the application is
made, be subject to presumption at one dollar
and twenty-five cents, or less, per acre or
eighty acres OF such unappropriated lands, at
two dollars and fifty cents per acre to he 10.
Gated in body. in conformity to the legal sub.
divisions of the public lands, and after the same
shall have been surveyed.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the
upon application to the register of the land
office in which he or she is about to make such
entry, make affidavit before the said register or
receiver that he or she is the head of family.
or IS tWenty'one years or more of age. and that
such application is made for his or her exclu.
sive use and benefit. and those especially men.
toned in this act and not either directly or in.
directly for the use or benefit of any other per.
son or persons whomsoever; end upon fling the
afhdavlt with the register or receiver, he or she
shall thereupon be permitted to enter the GUAM.
tity OF land specified: Prorided however. That
no certificate shall be given or patent issued
therefor until the expiration of five 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
death, his heirs or devisee; or in case of widow
| making such entry, her heirs or devisee. in
case OF her death-shall prove by two credible
witnesses that he, she, or they have resided
upon and cultivated the same for the term of
five years Immediately succeeding the time of
filing the affidavit aforesaid, then in such case,
he, she or they, if at that time citizen of the
United States, shall, on payment of ten dollars,
DE entitled to patent, as in other cases pro.
| vided for by law: And PROVIDED, further, That
in case OF the death of both father and mother,
| leaving an infant child, or children under
twenty'one years of age, the right and fee shall
enure to the benefit of said infant child or chill.
| dren; and the executor, administrator, or guar.
dian may, OF any time within two years after
the death OF the surviving parent and in &C.
cOrdance with the laws of the State in which
such children, for the time being, have their
domicile, sell said land for the benefit of said
infants, but for no other purpose; and the pur.
chaser shall acquire the absolute title by the
purchase, and be entitled to patent from the
! United States, on payment of the Office fees
and sum OF money herein specified.
Sec. 3. And 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 thereof to the General Land
have been founded.
| Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all
lands acquired under the provisions of this act
shall IN no event become liable to the satisfac.
ton of any debt or debts contracted prior to
the issuing OF the patent therefor.
Sec. s. Ard be 1t further enacted, That if. at
any time after the filing of the affidavit as re.
| CURED in the second section of this act, and be.
fore the expiration of the five years aforesaid,
it shall be proven, after due notice to the set
| tier, to the satisfaction of the register of the
land office, that the person having filed such
affidavit shall have actually changed his or her
residence, or abandoned the said entry for more
than six months at any time, then, and in that
|
Government.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That no in
dividual shall be permitted to make more than
one entry under the provisions of this act and
that the Commissioner of the General Land Of.
nee is hereby required to prepare and issue
such rules and regulations. consistent with this
act, as shall be necessary and proper to carry
its provisions into effect; and that the registers
and receivers of the several land offices shall be
entitled to receive the same compensation 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 mo.
ney, ono half to be paid by the person making
the application, at the time of 80 doing, and
the other half on the issue of the certificate, BY
the person to whom it may be issued: Provi-
ded, That nothing contained in this act shall
be so construed as to impair or interfere, in
any manner whatever, with existing pre.emp.
ton rights: And prorided, further, That all
persons who may have filed their applications
tor pre- emption right prior to the passage of
this act, shall be entitled to all privileges of
this act.