Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-23

Agreed to.
MI. Burrows, of Michigan, submitted the
conference report on the consular and di-
plomatic appropriation bill. Agreed to.
Mr.. Springer obtained leave to have
printed in the Record the memorial of the
Iroquois club Of Chicago prepared by
Mayor Harrison in favor of
the cession of the Illinois and
Michigan canal to the United States, and
the construction of the Hennepin canal.
The house then went into committee of the
whole on the sundry civil BILL
The pending amendment was that of
fered by Mr.. Blackburn, reducing to $685.
900 the appropriation for the geological =
survey. Though the debate was limited
to half an hour, the confused discussion
took wide range and embraced the con-
stitutional power of the government to
carry surveys into the states in which the
United States owned no land.
Mr. Blackburn contended there was no
warrant under the constitution for such
proceeding, and was sharply answered by
Mr.. Dunn, who characterized the doctrine
of state rights as ''old fossil"
Ia reply Mr.. Blackburn asserted that Mr..
Dunn had convinced the house that he was
a perfect adept IN the matter Of swallowing
every political doctrine that he ever heard,
for the purpose Of appropriating money
from the treasury to convict private citi-
zens. The amendment was lost, 80 to 86.
The committee then required to the por--
ton of the bill in collation. to the survey Of
public lands, which had been passed over
informally.
On motion of Mr.. Ryan an amendment
was adopted authorizing surveys which
may be required for the Identification OF
land for the purpose of evidence in any
suit or proceeding on behalf Of the Unitel
States.
After discussion the paragraph making
the application for survey of private land
claims in New Mexico and Arizona, was.
amended so as to prohibit any of the APP
preparation to be used for the preliminary
survey of unconfrmed private land claims.
Mr.. Pound offered an amendment repeal
ing the presumption laws, together with
all laws authorizing the fling of declara-
tory statements for the entry of public
lands by agent or attorney
Mr.. Washburn advocated the amend
meat, contendlng that the presumption laws
should be repealed. The manner in which
public lands were taken up under these
laws was a perfect scandal. No honest
man could file legitimate claim without
being prosecuted by adventurers and land
sharks. Now was the time to have this
matter stopped. The public lands had
been dedicated to actual settlers, and they
should be guarded for that purpose. Con-
gress should shut out this army of
harpies and adventurers, who went out
West in order to sap the life blood of
that developing country. The amendment
was adopted and is in its full text as fol
lows: PROVIDED that the presumption
laws, together with all laws authorizing
the filing of declaratory statements for
entries of public lands by agent or attorney
be, and the same are, hereby repealed;
provided, further, that this repeal
shall not affect the disposal of lands under
treaty stipulations with Indian tribes, or
be deemed to impair any legal rights
heretofore acquired under the laws hereby
repealed, but all existing entries, settle
ments or filings, may be perfected upon
the proper proof of lawful and
bona fide character of said claims,
and of due compliance with
provisions and requirements of laws under
which such entries, settlements or filings
were made; and provided, further, that.
any person who has heretofore made, or
may hereafter make, a bonafde entry of
public lands under the homestead laws
shall have the privilege of paying the
minimum price for the quantity of land so.
entered at any time before the expiration
of five years from the date of entry and
after actual residence, i'm
provement and cultivation has
been maintained for a period not less
| than two and one-half years after entry;
| and it shall be the duty of the commission
| err general of the land Office to require evil
depce of actual com pliance with the re-
| quirements of the law in respect to the
| settlement, residence, and improvement.
| and cultivation in all cases in which title
now is, or may be hereafter, claimed under
| the homestead Or other settlement or i'm
provement laws of the United States;
and provided, further, that any person ap--
| plying for the benefits of timber culture
| laws shall make his entry in person at the.
proper local land Office and shall make af-
| tdavit that ne is an actual resident of the
county and state or territory in which the,
| land is situated and that he has not en-
tered into any contract or agreement to.
| relinquish the entry he may make; and
| that he has no present or prosp ective pur-
| pose of making any such REIMBURSEMENT,
and offering Cor sale as a matter of
traffic and speculation. If relinquish
ments of entries made under the provis-
ions of the timber culture laws be made.
they shall be deemed prima facia evidence
that such entries were made for specula-
tive purposes, and not in good faith as
required by law, and such entries thereupon
| shall be liable to cancellation by the COM
missioner of the general land Office, and
land covered thereby shall be deemed sub
ject to entry by the first legal applicant,
and the first section of the act of May
IA, 1880, authorizing lands Gov
cred by relinquished claims to be
held as open to settlement and entry with
| out further action of the commissioner of
the general land office;'' and all other acts
and parts of acts are hereby repealed; and
provided further that when timber entry
| shall have once been made ON a tract of.
public land subject to such entry, and the,
same shall be cancelled or relinquisned,
the land covered hereby shall hereafter be,
subject to entry only under the timber Gull
ture laws, and no patent shall be issued
for such lands until the requirements of
such laws shall have been fully complied
with.
The committee rose, and the house adj