Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-02-07
IMPORTANT TO SOLDIERS.
The New s"ldIers' HON estead Law-Its Pass
age Probable The W ant OF Barly and
United Effort OF all Soldiers.

4 ~@NNJ
Our soldier friends will be glad Il
hear that there is an excellent pros
pect for important notifications o.
the soldiers homestead law. On the
10th inst, the Honse Military Com.
mittee agreed upon bill which will
be reported to the House and it il
thought passed without delay. II
provides that every soldier, sailor,
marine and officer, who served nine.
" days against the rebellion, may
receive patent for one hundred and
sixty acres of land, for homestead,
on condition that he shall settle up
on II for period which, together
with the time he has served in the
army or navy, would make five
years. In other words, his time of
service will be deducted from the
five years of residence required by
the Homestead Law, and if discharg-
ed for wounds or disability, the
whole term of his enlistment will be
counted. He must, however, live
upon and cultivate the land at least
two years, and is to be allowed a
year after selecting his homestead,
within which to commence his set
Element. lthe does not wish to avail
himself of this privilege, he may as
sign his homestead certificate, with
in twelve months from the date there
of, to any citizen of the United
States over twenty-one years of age,
or person who has declared his in
tention TO become such-who has
not previously awaited himself Of the
benefits of the Homestead Pre-emp-
ton Laws, and said assigned shall
succeed to all the rights of the sol
der, but no such assignor of a home
stead certificate shall thereafter have
the right to avail himself of the ben
eft OF the homestead acts. This
privilege of assignment will make
the land certificates have some value,
for they can be sold to persons not
soldiers, who wish to settle in the
West.
In case OF the death of any person
who would be entitled TO a home
steau under the provisions of the bill.
his widow, if unmarried, or, in case
OF her death or marriage, then his
minor orphan children, will be en-
titled to the same benefits. Disabled
soldiers whose names are on the pen
sion rolls are allowed to designate
an agent 10 make the settlement for
them required by the bill.
1t is thought that this is as far as
Congress will go in giving soldiers
land bounties or special privileges I'M
der the Homestead law. 1t is said
that this bill is Certain to pass the
House but it is not certain to go
through the Senate. The bill looks
like fair one to us, covering the
points that we have repeatedly adj
vocated in these columns, and we
advise our soldier friends to immedi-
ately got up pressure on their Sen
ators in favor of its passage. Let
every soldier who reads this write
letter to his United States Senators
at Washington, asking as manner
of simple justice that the bill be pas
sed without delay. Let all Posts o.
the Grand Army of the Republic
take action in the matter. No time
should be lost as the session expires
on the 14th of March. Petitions are
well enough, but if Senators are
flooded with private letters from sol
diers all over the country, it will be
much better 1t don't make any diff
ference what your Senators politics
are, let them hear from you. Don't
write long letters, but make them
very pointed and very plain. The
fate Of the bill now rests with the
soldiers themselves. They can Sc
cure its passage if they act prompt
lV