Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-07-14
Land.LegislatiOn.
1Phenix Gazettel

Among the provisions of the house bill No. 1901, entitled "a bill to se- cure to actual settlers the public lands adapted to agriculture, to protect the forest on the public domain and for other purposes" which passed the house on the 2Sth of June, the follow ing are of particular interest to our readers, and the settlers of Arizona generally.
 1st. Timber lands are defined to be lands containing timber of com mercial value as sawed or hewed tim Der.
 2nd. The Citizens of the Territory may use the timber upon public lands, not of commercial value as defined in this act, for domestic and mining pur- poses, subject to regulations to be made by the Secretary of the Interior.
 3rd. Desert lands are fixed at the price of 9 cents per acre, to be paid at time of filing; the entry limited to a minimum of 320 acres, and the en- tryman permitted to mortgage, not to exceed one-half of his entry, to secure the means with which to reclaim.
 4th. As to all entries heretofore made under the homestead, preeml ton or desert land laws. entrymen may perfect title at the uniform price of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, when payment thereof is requir- cd by law.
 It will be observed that these pro- visions contain all the features of the Relief Bill, for which Thos. H. Me Mullin labored in Washington last winter, excepting the matter of refund ing the excess, where double minimum has already been paid.
 To the untiring efforts of our dele gate Hon M A. Smith, aided by MT. McMullin, is due the insertion of these provisions in the bill.
 The use of timber on public lands, where not of commercial value, was put into the bill by an amendment proposed by MT. Smith, while the bill was pending before the house.
 He also sought an amendment pro- viding for the refunding of excess in cases where our people have already paid double price, but the amendment was opposed by MT. Holman, the chairman on the public land commit | tee, because he preferred that the mat ter be made the subject of separate bill, and so that part of the relief bill was not embraced in the general bill
 A new section was added to the bill on motion of MT. Laird, of Nebraska as follows:
 "SEC-That in all actions brought by any land-grant company or by any person claiming title under or through such company, against any actual settler occupying not to exceed 16( acres of land which he in good faitf entered upon, intending to claim the same under any of the public lanG laws of the United States, such settler may raise an interpose as defense il such action any mistake, error, or mis taken construction of an act of Con gross bS the Interior executive depart ment, or any officer thereof, which may have resulted in an erroneou, certiticatiOn of patent of such land tt such land grant company or to a state for its benefit; and such settler ma, also raise an interpose asa defense il such action any question which thu United States might by its attorney general raise by bill in equity to SC aside such patent or certificate, anC such defense shall be given the sam, effect as if the questions so presentet had been so raised by the attorney general in such suit"
 In this section MT. Smith proposed and secured an amendment, which in serts after the word company" in lin ,, Cor any person holding grant iron any foreign government"
 The effect of this slight amendmen is to drive an additional nail in tn coffin in which the Peralta and othe fraudulent land grants lie buried
 We may thus see, from the foregoin, references to this bill, that the mission of MT. MeMullin to the capital las winter, has been fruitful of good re sl s.-GaZette