The St. Johns herald., 1888-11-15
C0PP'S LAND REVIEW.
The new Additional Homestead Bill
 that Did Not Become a Law.


 Written for the St. Johns Herald.
 Some few weeks ago I gave syn opsis of a bill pending before Con- gress containing important and benefcent provisions, and predic- ton proved correct, but the bill fail ed to became a law because it was not reached by the President for signature before the adjournment of Congress. I have no doubt that the matter will receive early atten- tion when Congress reconvenes in December; that the bill will be re- enacted, and receive the signature of the President. In order that the people may be familiar with all of it's provisions, l print it entire in this letter to the exclusion of other matter, deeming it of the utmost importance
 "An act to allow persons who have
 abandoned and relinquished their
 hdmeStead entires to make an-
 other entry, and for other pur-
 poses.
 Be it enacted etc., That any pessan who shas not heretafore per fected title to attract ss land which. he has made filing upon under tue emption law, or entry of under the homestead law may make a homestead entry of not exceeding one-quarter section of public land subject to such entry such previous filing or entry to the contrary not with standing; but this right shall not apply to persons who perfect title to lands already initiated.
 "Sec. ?. That whenever itsshall be made to appear to the register and receiver of any public land of flee, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may pre- scribe, that any settler upon the public domain under existing law, is unable by reason of drouth, whole or partial destruction of crops, sickness, or other unavoid- able casualty, to secure a support for himself, herself or those depen- dent upon him or her upon the lands settled upon, then such re- gister and receiver may grant to such settler leave of absence from the claim upon which he or she has filed for a period not exceeding one year at any one time, and such settler so granted leave of absence shall forfeit no rights by reason of such absence: Provided, That the time of such actual absence shall not be deducted from the actual residence required by law.
 "Sec. 8. That the price of all sections and parts of sections of the public lands, within the limits oi the portions of the several grants of lands to aid in the construction of railroads, which have been here tofore and which may hereafter be forfeited, which were by the act making such grants or have since been increased to the double mini mum price and, also, of all lands within the limits of any such rail road grant, and not embraced in the grant lying adjacent to and co, terminous with the portions of the line of any suchrailroad which shall not be completed at the date of this act, is hereby fixed at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre.
 "Sec. 4. That from and after the passage of this act, any home, stead. settler who has entered less than one-quarter section of land may enter other and additional land lying contiguous to the origin nalsentry, which shall not, with the land first entered and occupied, ex' ceed in the aggregate, one hundred and sixty acres without proof oi residence upon and cultivation oi the additional entry; and if fnaI |nf settlement and cultivation has been made for the original entry when tue aditional entry IS made