The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-03-14
The Homestead Law.

IN act to amend an act to progide for the settlement
and drainage Of the sa0anap lands 6y aetna
settlers. being act No. 22s of the session las0
| srcrros i. Tbe people of the State of Michigan
enact that section one be amended as to renQ a
SEcTIox /, That the People of the STATE o
Michigan enact that the Commissioner of the Land
Office is he.eby required to issue certificate o
purchase to every settler or occupant of the Swamp
Lands belonging to this State in the proper Legal
subdivision, for eighty acres of said land, whenever
it shall be made to appear to said Commissioner
that such settler occupant has actually resided
upon such eighty acres of land for the period oil
five continuous years. and that he has also drained
the same SO to comply with the provisions Of
the act of Congress, approved Sept %, 1850, by
which said lands were conveyed to this State. So
SEC. 2. That section four of said act be SO amen
ded as to read as follows: fL.s[
SEC. f. And it is further. provided, that the
license for settlement granted under this act, shall
contain clause which shall expressly provide that
the settler occupant shall, within three months
after the date of SAID license, file with the Com
missioner of the Land Office, certificate from the
Supervisor of the township in which the land is
located together with the affidavit of such settler,
that he is in the actual possession and occupancy
of such land; and said license shall also contain
clause providing that the settler occupant shall
not be authorized to cut, take and carry away any
pine, oak other valuable timber, unless it be to
clear the land for cultivation, and their duty as
much as may be necessary to improve the same,
and for violation of the aforesaid conditions, he
or they shall be liable to all the forfeitures penal
ties and liabilities of trespasser upon State lands
as now is or may hereafter be provided by law
And it is further provided that if such settler shall
not file his certificate and oath of settlement and
occupancy. as above provided, or if evidence of
two Witnesses under oath is. furnished to the Com
missioner of the State Land Office, that the clause
above mentioned to prevent waste of said land,
has been violated then his claim shall be deemed
as void, and the Commissioner of the State Land
Office shall, from and after said time, sell said
lands, the same other swamp lands, and the
provision shall be inserted in the license for said
land ~ -. - .s,.. -. ~,
SEC. 8. That two sections be added to said act,
section five and section six, to read as follows:
SEC. 5. Any occupant under such license may at
any time pay for said land the minimum price fixed
by law for the swamp lands, and receive from the
Commissioner a certificate emitting him or his
legal representatives to patent for the same from
the Stale in the same manner though the said
land had not been licensed. at
SEC. 6. Such settler occupant may take any
fractional legal subdivision of land not exceeding
one hundred and twenty acres, BY paying for all
over eighty acres the minimum price for swamp
lands fixed by law for such excess He may also
take an additional adjoining legal subdivision of
eighty acres or less, by paying one quarter of the
purchase money down, according to the provisions
of act entitled act to provide for the sale of
the swamp lands and the reclamation thereof and
to secure the empton claims of settlers thereof
approved February 4th, 1858, and the acts amenda-
tory thereto, approved February 11th, 1882 for
for the sale of swamp lands and reclamation
thereof. 7- fa frt1i