Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-12-23
NO NEW DISTRICT.
Jamestown Denied the Honor and Prof,
of Possessing Land Office.

Jamestown Denied the Honor and Profit
of Possessing Land Office.
Washington, Dec. 19.-The bill pro-
viding for an additional land diatrict in
Dakota, to be known as the jamestown
land district, which passed the senate o
few days ago, has been referred to the
house committee on public lands, in
which . house bill of similar provisions
ia pending. 1t is probable that an sd.
Verse report on the bill will be made. It
has been stated that Maj. Strait of the
committee iE opposed to the bill and is
to some extent responsible for the nm.
favorable sentiment in the committee in
regard to its passage. The letter of Sec
rotary Teller and the commissioner of
the general land Office to Gov. Pound,
chairman of the committee, unfavorable
to the passage of the bill, however, af-
ford sufficient explanation of this op-
position. The secretary concurs in the
opinion OF the commissioners, which is
untavorable to the establishment of q
new district. The reasons for this opin-
ion, as given by the commissioner, are as
follows:
First-The Fargo district ought not
to be sub-divided. It is in compact form
and has undoubtedly passed the period
OF the greatest business pressure. The
proposed new district contemplates tax.
ing from the Fargo district the larger
part OF three counties. Such division of
the district involves division of the
records, plats, files and correspondence
aud o disturbance and interruption of
business, together with much labor, all
of which will be unnecessarily imposed
on an office now capable of handling all
its business properly and whose bust
ness will not increase.
Second-The Bismarck district, while of
large area, does but little business. A
large section of the district is embraced in
Indian reservations. Settlements are
slowly made and existing laws enable set
tiers to make entries by perfecting the nee
essary papers before the officers of their
own company and sending the same by
mail to the land office. The location Of
the proposed Office will work no conven-
ience to settlers in the Bismarck
district.
In view of these facts, conclude that
marck district. The bill proposes to
take from the said district the eauiya.
lent of about five counties. It also in
S1uu0o uedIly GHO CUuuGleS NOW III CQG
Grand Forks district. The shape and
size of the proposed district are such
that no additional convenience can DOS
sibly result to settlers, and whenever the
lands in the central and western portion
of the Grand Forks district are re.
lieved from reservation on account OF
the Indian title or claim to title, the crea.
ton OF new district, which without
extraordinary configuration will necessar
lily include portion of the district nov
proposed, will be an absolute business
necessity and thus enforce rearangement
OF the whole territory now involved. o
the four cnunties-McHenry, De Smet
Ramsey and Sheridau-to be included il
the proposed district, there is but on
surveyed township. The expense in
volved by establishing the proposed
district would be S., ,127.5O. The exbens
of such new Office for the first year woult
be in the aggregate S2O,5O2.5O, which
deem unnecessary, and in adition to ans
BY reason of the creation of the proposed
district much additional expense woulc
in comparatively brief time be neces
sary to rearrange the districts, the hin
drance to business incidental to these
necessary changes being meanwhile
visited upon settlers and claimants to til
land.