The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-04-18
Worth
More Than the Price of a Years Sub
soripticn to the Pioneer, to Know.

More Than the Price OF a Years Sub
soripticn to the Pioneer, to Know.
Hon. s. s, Smith, Receiver of the
U. 8. Land Office at Devils Lake
has kindly furnished US with a circu.
lar recently issued by the Depart.
mont Of the Interior at Washington,
which as it contains SO much that is
important to the settler to know, We
publish such extracts from it as ap-
pertain to our part of the country.
The law recently passed by Con-
gress and to which we referred, last
week, provides in
Sec. 2. That any person who has not
heretofore perfected title to a tract Of land
Of which he has made entry under the
homestead law, may make a homestead
entry Of not exceeding ~one-quarter section
Of public land subject to such entry, such
previous fling or entry to the contrary
notwithstanding; but this right shall not
apply to persons who perfect title to lands
under the presumption or homestead law
already initiated: Provided, That all
presumption settlers upon the public lands
whose claims nave been initiated prior to
the passage of this act may change such
entries to homestead entries and proceed to
perfect their titles TO their respective
claims under the homestead law notwith-
standing they may have heretofore had the
benefit of such law, but such settlers who
perfect title to such claims under the home
stead law shall not thereafter be entitled
to enter other lands under the pre-emption
or homestead laws of the United States.
SEQ. ). That whenever it shall 10 made
to appear to the register and receiver ofany
public land Office, under such regulations
as the Secretary of the Interior may pre-
scribe, that any settler on the public do
main under existing law is unable by reason
Of a total or partial destruction or failure of
crop sickness or other unavoidable cas-
uality, to secure a support for himself, her.
self, or those dependent upon him or her
upon the lands settled upon, then such
register and receiver may grant to such a
settler y 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 right by reason of such ab-
ssnce: Provided, That the time of such
actual absence shall not be deducted from
the actual residence required by law.
X
See. 7. That the "act to provide addi-
tional regulations for homestead and pre-
epption entries Of public lands" approved
March 3, eighteen hundred and seventy
nine, shall not be construed to forbid the
taking of testimony Of final proof within
ten days following the day advertised as
upon which such final proof shall be made
in eases where accident or unavoidable de-
lays have prevented the asplictnt or wit
nessss from making such proof on the date
specified.
The first section of the act provides
that"no public laws OF the United
States except those in the state Of
Missouri, shall be subject to private
entry" This relates to "ofered"
lands, not such lands as are open to
entry under existing laws, which ale
called unofered:
Under the second section it speclf-
cally provides that parties who have
existing presumption rights may
transmute them to homestead entries
and perfect title To the land under the
homestead laws. although they may
have heretofore had the benefit there
of, that is to say, anyone who has
used his homestead right may if he
choose change his presumption and
prescribe rules for taking afidavits
to show the facts at the time of max.
ing such proposed change.
Under the third section, which is
the most important Of all, worthy Of
remembrance aud to paste in your
hat, any applicant for permission to
be absent from his land for any
period not exceeding a year, will lie
required to make affidavit corrobor-
ated by two or more disinterested
witnesses setting forth the facts on
which he relies in support OF his ap-
plication which afidavits may be ex-
ecuted before any officer I'M 1.-THE land
district using a seal and authorized to
administer oaths.
The other sections of the act relate
to price of land within railroad limits
and to the taking Of additional lands
to make up 100 acres where a party
has not exhausted his right.
For further information, come and
see us.