Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-08-01
OUR wAgHIaGToN LETTER.

The various warrants, certificates and
scrips which may be used in the acquire
| ment Of title to public land are known
under the general term OF s.Land Scrips. =
81 The most common OF these are ReYo-
lutionary bounty land scrip, issued in
satisfaction of Virginia land warrants;
| military bounty land warrants, issued for
1service in wars prior to March 8, 1855;
agricultural college scrip issued to
| the several states to aid in the establish
ment of institutions for teaching agri-
culture and mechanics; supreme court
and surveyors general scrips, issued in
| lieu Of southern private grants sold by
the government.
| These warrants or scrips can be used
in the purchase of lands just as cash
might, and fees to registers and receivers
are required upon the location Of all of
them except the Revolutionary bounty
Iscrip. They are therefore actually be-
low par-that is while the face value is
$1.25 per acre, they cannot be sold for
quite that much.
Another class of scrip known as certif-
icates of deposit, is that issued on de-
posts for surveys. The face value is
$1.25 per acre, but as they cannot now
be used outside Of the state in which the
land surveyed is situated, they cannot be
sold for that amount. They can be used
only where cash would serve.
Several scrips of private character not
locatable outside certain named states
principally Florida have been issued,
but are not considered of sufficient i'm
portance to merit specific description.
Soldiers additional homestead certif-
Gates will take any vacant, unappropri-
ated, unreseryed public land that has
been surveyed. These certificates were
issued to soldiers, sailors and marines,
who had made homcsteads of less than
100 acres prior to june %, 1874, that
they might be placed on an equal foot
ing with their comrades who were al
lowed to enter 100 acres, The issuance
of the same was discontinued in 1883,
and persons entitled to additional lands
are now required to so to the local land
Office and make their additional entries
10 a. H.
Of these certificates, but the provision is
evaded by means of two powers Of attor-
ney--one to locate and another to sell
the land, The value of these certificates
is $50 and upward per acre.
There are several private scrips, vary
ing in quantity from 40 to $40 acres, that
sell from $50 to $50 per acre, and one
Girard rip-that will take only offered
or unoffered surveyed land, because of
peculiar wording Of the law under which
it was issued, is held at $50 per acre.
Sioux half breed scrip will take unsur-
veyed public land. Improvement of the
land is q condition precedent to location.
A large amount of this scrip was stolen
from the general land office some years :
ago after it had been located, and when l
one OF the stolen pieces makes its APP
pearance now, the scrip is Cancelled and !
The location declared void.
In numerous cases it has been ascer- 2
aimed that powers Of attorney have been f
obtained from the Indians through fraud, t
ind the locations have thus been defeated c
Notwithstanding these circumstances it
s worth from s35 to $45 per acre. 4
Porterfeld scrip is the only scrip
hat will take land within an incorpor-
tied city or town. A decision by The land
department. to the effect that it would >
AXE unappropriated lands, with I'M 7
thereon, caused this scrip tel q
ring very high prices. Sales at STOOL.
,er acre have been made. =,
Valentine scrip will take surveyed or g
lnsuryeyed; offered or unoffered, unap- g
nom mineral public land gen Z
rally, and can be located on mineral
and in Minnesota, Michigan and Wis
onsin. Neither residence nor improve
nent is required. Valentine scrip is
generally used to take unsurveyed pub f
ic land, because it is legally assignable e,
nd free from. Objectionable features. It 8
5 worth about $50 per acre. {
HENRY n. Copp. al