The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-08-09

a s,rvey and plat Of said tsact Of Land,
ma IT, aaid Mat thereof shall be
6led in The o6lee q TIE regtsees Of
me- nropoF lan1 o0oe W1eh6o ntnsey
IN act: and theseupoe Il sAall b
lawful Tor the eouDty jodge,. . troo-
TEE Of aid town-oite, 70 make entry
Of said traet Of laDd Ut the )ecal land
once. aud to dispose Of the same TO
occupapts In the same manner - u
the same had been = PAT OF the
original town-site Of Font Benton.
NJ. 8o1man. / esk that the
port accompanying the bill BE- read.
The Speaker. The Chair VIII state
tbat the report hes been printed -
the Accord Of the n,srning Of July
=. Under the modification Of the
rule the report may be read for I'VE
minutes. -.
81. Holman. / hope the gentle
man fkvm Montana will state how
many acres are affected BY this bill;
how many aesss are embraced IN the
reservatiou and also the necessity for
the passage Of the bill.
NJ. Naxinuis. Mr.. Speaker, some
yeal, ago Il was deemed advisable to
establish . military pOst At the site of
old Fort Benton, an old fur trading
post, and . reservation about three
milsa long and two miles vide was
withdrsvn from the operation OF the
land laws. At that time was G n
tensplated to establish . military post
1t this point. Afterward the idea Of
establishing military post and
buillin. . garrison was abandoned.
and the buildings Of tn: old fur conn
pany, which had been renlesl, were
directed to be turned over 70 the
owners BY the government. The
most of the land embraced In this
reservation 10 Of the ordinary charac.
ter and value Of the public lands OF
the country. m0stly high table lands,
and ~ this act they are restored to
the public domain under the ordinary
provisions Of the public land laws.
The committee Of the House and
senate, however, have made two ex.
certi"ns to this general disposition Of
the lands In the reservation. That
portion on the river bottom under
the bluff, amounting to one hundred
aud sixty acres or thereab0uts, and
adjoining the town Of Fort Benton.
are to he disposed Of by the Secretary
of the Interior under the provisions
of the United Statutes governing
t0wn.sites. and, - the gentleman
Knows that under the provisions Of
the general town-site net the lots will
be disposed of to actual settlers only,
another exception IL favor Of the
owners Of the old fur trading estst,-
lishment ut Fort Benton !. made.
The owners are given the first right
Ut entry on six acres Of ground or
thereabOuts, which has Geen Oecu-
pied BY their establishment for
thirty years or more, and on which
their buildings stand. Their first
right Of entry IL pro.ec ed to this six
acres.
Mr.. Holman. Why Is that:
Mr.. Naginnis. Because they were
the first settlers upon the land, and
it was o0ly deemed just and proper
that they should have the first right
t. it. They occupied 1t long before
there were any white people In that
country. They were in very marked
way the first settlers. and it ~ only
right that they should have the priv.
ilege In preftr renee to other people.
They claimed forty acres. that being
the smallest legal lb-division vi
public land, hut the committee al.
lowed only six, which had been ae-
tually fenced aud claimed from the
beginning.
Mr. Holman. This is a part of the
town->ite::
Mr.. Magini,is. No. sir: 1t is q Part
Of the Reservation. just below the
town..ite.
The Speaker l. there objection to
the present cor sideratiOn 81 the Till:
There was no objection.
ia. SGAxIuuIs. I move nUW. VT.
Speaker, to suS<tit. t. the Till which
has been read for the House hill. the
substitute being the exact language
If the Senate Committee On Military
Affairs. with the amendments rcl.or.-
eddy that committee.
The Speaker. The gentleman from
Montana moves t. strike out all after
the enacting clause Ut the House bill
and insert the Till which his been
read by the Clerk as an amendment.
The amendment was agreed to.
The bill - amended was ordered to
he .-nyrossed aud read third time
and being engr0sse<l. 1t WAS accord.
ingly read the third time. and passed.
Mr.. Bayne moved to reconsider the
vote by which the bill was passed
and also moved that the motion to
reconsider b. laid on the table.
The latter motion was agreed to.
On the same day the resolution was
sent to the Senate, when the follow.
ing proceedings were had:
The President pro 'en,po-e laid be-
fore the Senate the bill H. r. No.
49,. to restore the Fort Benton mill
tary reservation to the public domain,
and for other purposes.
Mr.. Farley. l ak that the bill; I've
put upon Its passage.
Mr.. COckrell. / will state that the
Committee on Military Affairs In.
reported favorably bill Of the same
title. which I have compared with
the House bill, aud they are rerl.ntim
the same. The senate till was unan.
imously reported BY myself from, the
Committee on Military Affairs. and
Is now On the calendar.
The till was read three tinies. and
passed.
Mr.. Cockrell. now move that the
bill 5. No. 1889, to restore the Fort
Benton military reservation to the
public domain. and for other rur.
poses: te indefinitely postponed. ~
~ to be taken Oft the calendar.
The motion was agreed to.
CONGRESSIONAL.
House.