The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-06-07
PUBLIC LANDS,
Legislation for the Benefit OF Home stead


Washington Cor. Chicago Inter ocean,
There has been an unusual amount of
good Legislation in regard to public
lands, and for the benefit of homestead
ers, for which Senator Oglesby and his
fellow-members of the Senate Commit
tee on Public Lands are to be compi-
mented. Three very important bills
have been passed by the Senate within
the last few days, in addition to several
equally important which have previously
been passed.
One of these bills, which is now pend
ing in the House, and will probably pass
that body, and become a law this session,
is for the benefit of grasshopper suffer-
ers, and provides that it shall be lawful
for homestead settlers on the public
lands whose crops were destroyed or Sc
riously injured by grasshoppers in the
year 1876, who left their land in that
year, if no other settlement shall have
been made thereon by, or right or inter-
est therein accrued to, any other person,
to return to said land at any time within
three months from and after the passage
of this act and upon the return of such
settlers to such land such absence there
from shall in no wise affect the original
settlements or homestead rights, but
such settlers shall be allowed to resume
and perfect their settlement as if no such
absence had occurred Provided, That
proof of such destruction or injury of
crops, absence, and return of such set
tiers. shall be made in such manner as
the Commissioner of the General Land
Office may prescribe.
Another bill for the protection of
homestead settlers on railroad lands pro-
vides that, on and after its passage, the
even sections within the limits of any
railroad company, or any military-road
company, or to any State in aid of any
railroad or military road, shall be open
to settlers under the homestead laws to
the extent of 100 acres to each settler,
and any person who has, under existing
laws, taken homestead on an even sec
ton within the limits of any railroad or
military-road land grant, and who, by
existing laws, shall have been restricted
to eighty acres, may enter under the
homestead laws an additional eighty
acres adjoining the land embraced in his
original entry, if such additional land
be subject to entry; or, if such person
so choose; he may surrender his entry to
the United States for cancellation, and,
thereupon, be entitled to enter lands
under the homestead laws the same as
if the surrendered entry had not been
made. And any person so making addi-
tional entry of eighty acres, or new en-
try after the surrender and cancellation
of his original entry, shall be permitted
so to do without payment of fees and
commissions.
A third important bill, which Senator
Plumb, of Kansas, has in charge, pro-
vides additional regulations for home
stead and presumption entries, and de-
clares that before final proof shall be
submitted by any person claiming to
enter agricultural lands under the laws
providing for presumption or homestead
entries, such person shall file with the
Register of the proper land Office a no.
tice of his or her intention to make such
proof, stating therein the description of
land to be entered, and the names of
the witnesses by whom the necessary
facts will be established. Upon the
filing of such rotice, the Register shall
publish notice that such application
has been made for the period of thirty
days, in a newspaper to be designated
as published nearest to such land, and
he shall also post such notice In some
conspicuous place in his Office for the
same period. Such notice shall contain
the names of the witnesses as stated in
the application. At the expiration of
said period of thirty days, the claimant
shall be entitled to make proof in the
manner heretofore provided by law.