National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-28
AMENDING LAND LAWS.
Proposed Changes In the Homestead, Pre-
emption, and Timber Culture Laws.

Proposed Changes In the Homestead, Pre-
emption, and Timber Culture Laws.
Senators Dolph, Plumb, and slatcr-three
western men possessed Of personal knowledge
of the defects of existing land laws and of
the objects which it is desirable the land
laws should accomplish form subcommit-
tee of the senate committee on public lands
to consider the several measures relating to
the general land laws They have been en-
gagged in the work two or three weeks, and
contemplate recommending such changes as
will mako the several general laws consistent
with each other, and at the same time
so simplify them that land officers
and claimants may know their duties. rights,
and privileges under each. Already. as a
part of the general plan, tho repeal of the
timber culture law has been recommended to
and approved by the full committee, consid-
cradle progress has been made with the
homestead law, and some suggestions have
boon incidentally considered with regard to
changes in tho presumption law. 1t is pro-
posed to give the homestead claim ant one
year from tho date of entering his land
to establish his residence thereon,
requiring, however, that in the
meantime he shall break and prepare
for cultivation given area of land to estab-
lish the good faith of his professions. Under
existing laws he is required to 60 upon his
months of the date of entry. In a largo por.
ton of the northwest nothing can be done to-
ward cultivating crops during the first sea-
son, except to break up the ground. The
requirement.that a claimant shall establish
himself upon his claim and remain there in
idleness, or risk losing it while he IL
necessarily absent earning the means OF
Livelihood, is held by members Of the COM
mittee to be an unnecessary hardship. 1t is
further proposed to admit homestead claims to
final proof and patent only ct the end OF
seven years from the date of entry.-the present
term being five years. IL is argued that to the
honest claimant who farms his land for his
own use it is of little consequence when he
receives his patent, since the entry OF the
land confirms him in every right but that OF
selling it, which he secures by patent. As a
novel feature of the homestead law, and O
substitute for the timber culture law, it is
under contemplation to require that within
the first four or five years from the date Of
entry the homestead settler shall plant
specified small area of land in trees, having
previou sly taken such necessary steps to Sc
cure thrifty growth as are now required by
the timber culture act, this requirement be
ing applicable, of course, only to treeles'
regions. The reason for thus grating por
ton of the timber culture law upon the
homestead law is found in the fact that under
the former the land usually falls into the
VI WIN nhNO uO
est in the cultivation of trees, and
whose steps to that end are merely sufficient
under the law to hold the land until it can
be sold to advantage.
The chief amendments to the presumption
law suggested in the committee look to the
prevention of speculation, by requiring thai
ACCOMPLISHMENTS shall not be accepted by
local officers; that when accepted by tn,
commissioner the land shall BIO open for entry
by the first applicant, and the two years O.
actual residence shall precede the purchase o
the land