The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-24
The Bozeman Board Of Trade Pre-
pare a Substitute for the
Power Bill.
It Provides that the Lands Shall
be Thrown Open to
Settlement.
Provisions Of the Public Land Iavs
to Apply-Form of Petition
to Congress.

BozEAAN, July 2s.-[Special. The COM
mittee authorized by the Bozeman board of
trade to draw up bill as a substitute Of
the Power bill. disposing of the Ellis reser-
walton have agreed upon the following:
A bill for an act to provide for the dis
posal of the abandoned Fort Ellis military
reservation in Montana under the home
stead Law, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the senate and house of
representatives of the United States of
America in congress assembled:
Sec. l. That the secretary of the interior,
having caused the lands embraced within
the abandoned Fort Ellis military reservn-
tion in Montana to be regularly surveyed
by an extension of the public surveys over
unsurveyed portions thereof, and az said
surveys havc been by him duly ap-
proved, said lands not otherwise
disposed of shall now become part
of the public domain and subject
to exploration, location, entry and settle
stead laws of the United States, and pur-
chase and entry under the provisions of the
act for the sale of timber (and stone) lands,
approved June 3, 1873; provided that moth
ing herein contained shall limit the opera
tions of any grant of land heretofore made
w eA0 oud00 VI WAO1tdUA ZOE 0UUCAJ1OUAk OF
other purposes, and provided that said act
OF 1873 shall apply only to the timber
lands of said reservation, it's stone lands
to be disposed of under the mineral laws
of the United States. And be it further
provided that nothing in this act shall be
any right of the United States to have
the lands granted to the Northern Pacific
railroad company forfeited, for failure past
Or future to comply with the conditions of
the grant; and that the tract upon which
the quarters and stables. guard houses,
store houses and hospital now stand, and
said buildings, together with sufficient sur
rounding land to make $40 acres and not
otherwise disposed of, shall and do hereby
become the property of the state for militia
purposes forever.
Sec. 2. That any improvements, build
inRs. building materials and other property
which may be situated upon said reserva-
tion, and not within said $40 acres, shall,
and do hereby become, the property of the
state, to be sold or removed by it for
the benefit of the militia establishment,
provided for IN section two hereof, the
state to.act hereunder, at least so soon as
the land referred to in this section NAV be
applied for under section two of this act
Sec. =. That all acts and parts of acts in
conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
The bill, together with the petition fol-
lowing, has been sent to Silver Bow,
NAodRueIS TaIA ana 1eIOW6tOno counties
for signatures:
We, the citizens of -- county, Mon
tana, respectfully urge upon our repre-.
sentatlves In congress determined efforts to
secure the passage of the foregoing act dur
ing the present session, believing it to rep
resent the best interests in the matter of
the state at large. We are unalterably op-
posed to the main provisions of the bill re-
ported from the senate committee on pub
lie lands, for the reason, among others,
that it Dostpones settlement upon the Ellis
lands for at least one year, and We call
upon our said representatives to oppose its
adoption.
Should it prove impossible to secure
adoption of the act herein recommended at
this session we ask withdrawal of all bills
now filed in this matter and such action as
will secure the operation of the act of July
5, 1888, providing for the Disposal of Aban-
doned and Useless Military Reservations"
with the proviso that the state shall be &C.
cured in the militia establishment provided
for in sections two and three Of the act
herein submitted.