The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-04-21
THE KAW LANDS.
a Bill That VIII HnGeresI
settlers Thereon.

settlers Thereon.
We clip the following from the
Congressional Record of Thursday,
April ID, in regard to the proceed
ings of the House. The bill under
discussion will now go to the
Senate for concurrence
SETTLERS ON THE KANSAS REsERvA.
TON, KANSAS.
Mr.. GOodin, from the Committee
on Public Lands, reported back,
with favorable recommendation,
the bill (H. II. No. 1859 for the re-
lief of certain settlers on the Kansas
Indian reservation i'll Kansas.
The bill was read as follows:
Whereas certain bona tide settlers upon
the Kansas Indian reservation in Kansas
have applied at the local land office at
Topeka, Kansas, to purchase tracts of
said reserve, not exceeding one hundred
and sixty acres TO any one person, and
have rendered the amount supposed to be
the first payment on such tracts, and have
made lasting and valuable Improvements
thereon; and whereas in some cases such
tracts, instead of constituting single
Government quarter section, embraces
portions OF contiguous quarter sections /;
and whereas 1t being impossible for the
local land Office to determine what the
proportiOnate value OF such portions of
gu arter sections are where the quarter
section is appraised as an entirety: There
fore.
BE it enacted by the Senate and House
Of Representatives of the United States
Of America in Congress assembled, That
In cases where parties have applied TO
purchase tracts of land on the Kansas
Indian reservation in amounts not
n.WNa a
any one person, said tracts being made
up of legal subdivisions of contiguous
quarter sections, have rendered the sup
posed price of the first payment for the
same, and gone on and made lasting i'm
proVements thereon, the register and the
receiver OF the land Office at Topeka may
take evidence as to the value of the tracts
so proposed to be purchased, and the im-
proVements thereon, as compared witt
the entire quarter section, and so apDor-
ton the value of the quarter section and
| improvements thereon, between the por-
ton so proposed to be purchased and the
Remaining portion thereof, as shall be
just and right, and shall make the value
| of all portions and improvements taken
| together equal to the appraised value OF
| the entire quarter section and imdrove-
ments thereon; and the settlers shall be
allowed to purchase the tracts so origi-
nally filed upon, upon the same terms
and conditions as If the land had consist.
| ed Of entire quarter sections.
Mr.. Holman. l hope the gentle
mau from Kansas will explain the
purpOrt of that bill.
Mr.. Goodin. L will do so. We
have in my state q tract of land
known as the Kaw or Kansas Indi
an reservation, upon which reserva.
ton a large number of settlers went
several years ago. Upon the Stt
day OF May, 1872, an act of Con-
gress was passed directing the Sec.
rotary of the Interior 10 cause the
lands occupied by actual settlers tC
be appraised, together with the i'm
provementa thereon, and that the
settlers then residing upon III,
same should be entitled to purchase
at the appraised value tract moi
exceeding one hundred and sixty
acres each.
The law provided that the ap
praisment should be made in tract
of one hundred and sixty acre.
or less, including the improvements
The appraisers went upon thes
lauds and appraised them in tract
of one hundred and sixty acres, &C
cordiDg to the regular legal subdi
Visions; but in some instances j
was found-and there was no Law
to prevent the settlement in tina
manner-that settlers had occupied
say. for instance, eighty acres il
one quarter section and eight,
acres in another quarter of III
same section, or of still differen
: section.
The settlers acting under the pro
visions of that law, went to the 10
cal land office for the purpose O
: purchasing their lands, and the
, they supposed would be the frs
, installment, OF the purchase-money
Finally applications were made b
several of them, not a great numbe
however, to make their, final proc
and receive their title, but the reg
lister and raceiver OF the local Ian
office refused TO hear their fms
} proof and give them their certif
t cate of purchase because they couI
r not apportion the value of the Ian
sought TO be purchased and Ii
value ct the improvements thereoI
= This bill is to authorize the registe
g and receiver TO appOrtion the valr
r of the improvements and the Walt
a of the lands occupied by the Sc
tiers, having in view the valuatio
made by these appraisers. That
o the sole purpose OF this bill.
u Mr.. Holman. How was the q
# praisement OF these improvement
y made5 -
% Mr.. Goodin. The gentleml
g from Indiana asks me . question
d relation to the appraisement
h these improvements. l will sta
m that a number of years ago Il
Government of the United State
,s having in view the civilization
N this tribe of Kansas Indians, cause
Or to be erected buildings all ov
- these lands, which the Indians, I
" the way, never occupied, and the
ID were also some meager improv
lie ments made from time to time
the Indians themselves.