Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-03-28
CHANGE IN LAND LAWS.

act repeating the presumption and
timber culture land laws. The act
has been urged upon Congress by
successive Land Commissioners for
many years, and ON several occas-
ions it has had narrow escape OF
passing, but it was reserved for the
5lst Congress to embody it among
the statutes Of the United States
To understand its bearing, remarks
the San Francisco Call, il must be
remembered that the original policy
of the Government was to sell the
lands embraced in the public do
main TO the States, or in large
blocks to land companies. Land
warrants, which were obtainable by
any veteran Of the old ways, also
provided for the disposal Of GER
tain quantity Of land. 1t was found,
after time, that this system did
not conduce to the settlement of the
empty places, and the prescription
law was enacted, granting TO heads
Of families or to citizens Of 21 years
of age the right to occupy 100 acres
OF land on paving for the same at
the price fixed by the Government.
This plan answered better than its
predecessor. But in practice, il de-
prived men without means from ac-
quiring land, and il operated to en-
able syndicates to obtain control of
large tracts. Hence, about cen
fury ago, n demand arose FOR rev
law under which actual settlers
could take up quarter section of
land and till it-not paying for it
for limited period. Alter the war,
Congress saw its way clear to pass a
more liberal law, which is known
as the homestead law. Under that
law every citizen, male or female,
and every appli, ant for citizenship
over 81 years Of age, may take up
100 acres of land worth 1925 an
acre, or 80 acres of land worth $3.50
an acre, and hold it for five years
before being required to pay for it.
Subsequently acts were passed
giving TO any settler who had. plant
ed ten acres in trees and kept them
growing for two years right to a
free patent for 100 acres, and to n
settler who had planted and kept
alive five acres in trees a right to n
free patent for 50 acres. These were
the timber culture acts, which were
passed between 1873 and 1873. An
other act was passed about that
time granting free patent to any
settler who had reclaimed desert
lands.
The timber culture acts were
passed 10 encourage tree-planting on
the treeless prairies Of the valleys
Settlers took advantage Of them to
occupy large areas of land. Between
1875 and 1883 nearly 100000
acres were taken up under the acts
in question. 1t is claimed, proba-
bly, with justice, that in large pro-
portion Of cases the object of the
acts has not been obtained; that the
trees planted have not lived, and
that the trecless plains are in many
localities as treeless as ever though
the parties who located under the
acts have got their land.
simultaneously feeling has
arisen of late years in favor of re-
serving the remaining lands com
priscd in the public domain for poor
settlers, and checking the operations
of individuals and syndicates who
have acquired large tracts of land
under the pre-emption law. That
feeling has found expression in the
short act which was passed in the
closing hours of the 5lst Congress
As matters stand now there is but
one way in which Government land
can be acquired. To become pos
sessed of 100 acres Of the public
domain it is necessary TO be a citi-
zen, or to have declared ones inten-
ton of becoming such. Ii is not
necessary TO he male. II is nee.
essary that the party desiring to be
como the owner of the land shall
actually occupy it, and shall re-
main in uninterrupted possession
thereof II is also required that he
or she shall pay certain entry fees
and expenses of survey, which are
triiiing. A person who complies
with these requirements may enter
upon the possession Of the land and
hol1 - auaioSt oil annnarc f,r a no