Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1886-01-14

and for that matter the entire country.
On the Bird of April, 1855, the Com.
missioner of the General Land Office is.
sued the following order:
SUSPENSION OF ENTRIES.
Final action in this Office upon all en-.
tries of the public lands, except private
cash entries, and such scrip locations as
are not dependendeAt upon acts of settle.
ment and cultivation, is suspended 10 the
following localities, namely:
All west Of the first guide meridian
west in Kansas. All west of range II
wcs: in Nebraska. The whole of Colo.
-rado except land in late Tito reservation.
All Of Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Washington
New Mexico, Montana. Wyoming and
Nevada, aud all that portion of Mime
sofa north of the indemnity limits of the
Northern Pacific railroad and east of the
indemnity limits of ST. Paul, Minneapolis
and Manitoba railroad.
w. A. j. SPARKS, Commissioner.
April 3, 1885.
As appears by the report of the Gen
eral Land Office, the number or pre- emp
tion entries made durirg the year was
1896, which he says would cover
1861 800 acres of land. The number
OF homestead entries made during the
year is placed at 50,s77, embracing an
area of 7,4l5,SS5 acres. The number
Of prc-emplion entries unactcd upon un.
der the operation of the foregoing at the
close of the fiscal year Was 1894, and
the number of homestead entries unacted
en- was 2S,Sll-making a total of settlers
claims unacted on Of Gl l,lS5, which
would represent 9,7S9,6O0 acres of land.
The Commissioner states that final
proof was made in 22,0G6 of the 5O,S77
homestead entries, but does not state tina,
patents issued in ony Of such cases. 1t
is fair, therefore, to presume that no pa,
tents have issued to any of the 22,06G
homesteaders who have made final proof.
This would give $500 $50 acres to add
to the 9,7S9, 500, making total Of 49,
32o, 100 of homestead and pre- emption
land suspended.
To any one conversant with the land
| law. nf tb. Tr,;.,d S,otos - !, Loo,r,,
that any homesteader or pre.cmptor OF
the public lands, having complied with
the laws as to settlement and improve.
nent OF the tract taken by him, can make
final proof on the same at the expiration
Of six months, and on the payment OF
the minimum or double minimum price
as the case may be, receive final receipt
for the land, which final receipt under
the decisi, rs OF the Supreme Court OF
the United States and the decisions OF
the state supreme courts, has always been
treated as absolute title, and would bt
operates as an impeachment of title, a.
well as an impeachment Of the good faitl
Of the 8i,25l settlers making the settle
mcnts and proof thereof.
As the report Of the Commissioner re
lates to the a0ih Of June, 1885, all o
the persons who made entries by tha
time would now be entitled to make fina
proof and receive their final receipts 70
these lands, if they could show, as mos
can compliance with the law as to settle
ment and improvement. This woul
! ! make the number of homestead and pre-
r emption settlers on the public domain O
the United States now entitled to paten,
or to claim patent, as show by the repor,
= e4,25l-,hat is, S4,25l persons, head
of families, representing at fair esiimat
i a population of 252,753 persons, undt
= the ordinary operations of the law ent
It'd prima tacie to an absolute title {
1929, ,lG0 acres of land, and now d.
prived of their rights by the order cite(
. Bat Cor this order the governmer
would have received from the sale {
tn $50 lands from the settlers the sum (
SIG, 1850. 200; this being at the minimum
rate of sl.25 per acre for the 1890
100 acres of land chung up under ii
order, and the settlers would under ia
circumstances have been able to procu
credit on these lands of from 1866
200 to s23,3l0,2SO over and above ii
sum paid the government. This sum
to raised by mortgage of the lands Is nee,
sary and would be used by the settler
making life on the claim possible duri'
the winter and providing seed for Il
spring planting.
In the face of this order. the settle
;. cannot, so far as my knowledge gos
raise cent on their lands. Ia this Gu
naction | beg to submit as a part of n
!, remarks letter addressed to myse
written on the 18th of this month fro