The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-07-22
Whole No. 13o
Commissioner Sparks Decis-
ion.

The commissioner of the general land
ONCE has made supplementary ruling
In the Walia Walla land case, which is.
In TACT, decision that hereafter the in
demnlty limits of railroad land grants
ehall be disregarded in making entry
and settlement under the land laws. The
decision affects great deal of land in
the northwest. 1t does not actually
take lands from the railroads, nor does
it deprive them of the power to aconire
lands under laws now in existence and
eheet, but 1t puts an end to the reserve
tlon OF large district for the railroads
10 select from, and compels them to take
their chance with settlers in acquiring
lands for indemnity purposes on the
principle Of first come, first served. The
railroads viii probably be eshrewd enough
to set good land for all their indemnity
claims, and there is no reason why their
claims should not be made at once and
f, the rest included within the indemnity
limits thrown open to settlement.
The decision withdraws the indemnity
limits along nearly every land grant
railroad IN the United States, affecting
not less than S0,OO0,OOO acres. OF these
12,O00O00 belong the Northern Pacific, a
like amount to the Atlantic & Pacific
and 100000 along the southern roads.
Every land grant in Minnesota is affect
ed by the decision. The railroads have
had some income a-d considerable ad-
vantage for the maintenance of indem-
nifty limit, reserving from settlement
large bodies of land lying next to the
grant.
Col. c. B. Lam5orn, land commissioner
of the Northern Pacific, after reading
the above decision last evening, said to
the Pioneer Press: This action of the
commissioner of the general land office
is not unexpected, as it has been intim-
ated for some time that it was conten-
plated by the department. So far as the
Northern Pacific is concerned, / do not
see that this decision can in any way
injure the company, or affect its rights.
The ruling now made by the commits
sloner will merely throw open to entry
und the public land laws such of the
odd numbered sections, within the In
demnity strip, on each side of the COM
grant as have not been select
ed and certified to the company These
lands will still remain open for selection
by the company or for entry by settlers,
which ever may apply for them first
after the survey. So far as these in
delnnity limits have been surveyed by
the government, the lands which the
railroad is entitled to select have already
been selected aud certified to the COM
pany by the United States land officers.
All of these indemnity lands have been
selected bY the railroad company in
and i'll Dakota as far west as
the Missouri; also all the indemnity
lands, so far as these lands have been
by the government, in Dakota,
Montana, Washington and Oregon have
been selected and certified to the COM
pany. West of the Missouri and in
Montana and Idaho only portion Of
the indemnity lands have been surveyed,
and, owing to the mouptainus districts
IN which most of the unsurveyed lands
lie in Montana and Idaho, it will be
many years before they are surveyed.
When these surveys may be made, how
ever, | assume the company can exer-
use the right of selection as it may de-
'ire to do so. The lands lying within
he indemnity land which have hereto
ore been selected by the company and
rave been duly certified to, aggregate
',202, ,125 acres, being substantially all of
he lands within the indemnity limits,
which haye SO far been surveyed by the
and which the company
,ould under its charter select for indem-
lity, for losses within its grant"