Omaha daily bee., 1882-12-06

camille credit, but none for refusing il
to traders whose condition is mani.
fessly sound.
THE CLAIM AGENTS BONANZA
The San Francisco Chronicle CALI
attention to q scheme set on foot In
Washington by claim agents to have
the Soldiers' and Sailors Homestead
law amended ostensibly in the inter
est Of the soldiers and sailors who
fought In the late civil war, but really
in the interest Of the spectators In
lsni claims. The Soldiers and Sail
ors' Homestead Act as It now standt
Is all that could be wished by any one
entitled to its benefits. Persons who
have no. served in the army or navy
are required to take immediate pos
session Of the land filed on for 0
homestead, after filing. The soldier
need not enter on his homestead till
six months after filing. Ninety days
active service 10 the army or navy
entities him to q homestead, and he
need not be q citizen. II he served
for three or tour years, or for any
shorter time, 80 much time is deduct.
ed from the term of five years actual
residence and cultivation of the lend
which is required of any other person
taking a homestead. The reading OF
the section on this head is:
The time which the homestead set.
tier had served in the army or marine
corps shall be deducted from the time
heretofore required to perfect title;
or if discharged On account Of wounds
received or disabilities incurred in
the line of duty, then the terms OF
enlistment shall be deducted from
tho time heretofore required 10 per-
feet title, without reference to the
length of time he may have served;
but no patent shall issue to any home
stead settler who has not resided upon,
improved and cultivated his home
stead for q period of at least one year
after he shall have commenced his
improvements.
II he served four years he need
only reside on and cultivate the land
one year till he is entitled to his pa
tent; if three years, only two years
residence Is required, and if enlisted
for four years and was honorably dis
charged for wounds or other disability
contracted in war he is entitled to a
drawback of the full term of enlist
ment. His wife and orphan children
are entitled to all his rights in cas he
dies before or after filing. He may
select his homestead by an agent. he
may perfect his title in one year and
then sell the land, while the citizen
must wait FIVE years. The wife of a
soldier or sailor is entitled to a credit
for homestead for her husbands ser.
vices during the war. Proof of cul-
tivation, as prescribed in the above
quoted section, is required in such
cases. The fees required of q soldier
are the same al those required
of q citizen at the land Office.
The claim agents are operating upon
the assn mption that soldiers and sail
ors who are disabled by wounds can
not comply with the requirements Of
actual cultivation and accordingly ask
that claims may be transferred with.
cut such compliance with the law.
The fact is that disabled soldiers and
sailors can do better. They can use
the money which they receive as PEN
sions for their wounds in the employ
ment of some one to work for them.
The lew does not mean that the home
steader must work himself, but that
the land must be cultivated 80 long tt
perfect title. 1t is a big job to enable
land agents, pension agents and spec
u~lators to get possession Of tens o.
thousands of soldiers' and sailors
homesteads for a trife, and hold then
for q rise in land, which is every yea,
becoming more and more valuable a
the public domain drifts away int
the hands of railway corporations.