The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1893-04-13
STILI4WATER MINNESOTA APRIL

domain was ceded to them for sundry
purposes. For instance, there are six
hundred and forty acres of land in a
section; it takes thirty-six sections to
make township, and out of each
township the sixteenth and thirty sixth
sections belong to the State for educa-
tlOnal purposes. Over a million acres
were set apart in this way last year.
Each county is permitted to buy at
re-emption prices one quarter section
of land for the establishment of seat
of justice. The seat of justice need not
be on the pre-empted land, but it must
be fixed before there is sale of the ad-
joining lands, and the proceeds of the
sale of the pre-empted tract must be de-
voted to the erection of public buildings.
E Prescriptions were made until 1891
after this manner:
The man who desired to pre-empt a
tract of land had to go in person and
examine it. Having satisfied himself
that the Governments survey was cor
rect, that it was good land for residence
and cultivation. and that no one else
had valid claim to it, the wOuld-be
owner took up his residence thereon.
AS soon as he had accomplished some
thing substantial in proof of his good
intentions, he was compelled to file de-
claratOry statement of his deeds and
wishes. Only thirty days were given
in which to file this statement, if the
desired land was already subject to
private entry. Public land which is
offered at public sale and finds no pur-
chaser becomes subject to private pur-
chase. 1t is, as | have already said, Of
ficially known as Offered" land. If
the land had never been offered at pub
lie sale, the preemptOr had three
months in which to make his filing.
On Offered lands proof and pay
.aent had to be-made within year
from date of settlement; on ''unOffered'
lands thirty-three months were allowed
from the date of settlement, or in case of
unsurveyed lands from the date when
the plat of survey was filed in the dis
trict office. The price to pre-emptor
was $1.2o per acre for minimum
lands not within the limits of pre-
viOuS grant to a railroad or some other
work of internal improvement. With
in the limits of such grants, land was
valued at $3.50 per acre. Presumption
proof consisted of the sworn testimony
of the claimant and his witnesses, to
the effect that the law has been COM
piled with in every particular.
AS have said, all this was prior to
1891. If anyone had entered pre-
emptOrs claim before that date the law
still holds good for him until he gets
his patent, but all new settlers must
come under the Homestead act. In
this, settler gets his land for less mon
ey but is longer about it.
tions of application are the same as un-
der the Presumption laws. The appli-
cant must be citizen or must swear
that he means to be. His oath entities
him to ask for one hundred and sixty
acres of land valued at $1.25 or at $3.50,
as he pleases provided that he does not
already own one hundred and sixty
acres somewhere else in the United
States.
The wOuld-be agriculturist now files
wants the land for purposes of actual
exclusive use and benefit, and neither
directly nor indirectly for the benefit of
any other person or persons. He, at the
same time hands the register and re-
ceiver the legal fees, and is then per-
mitted to enter the number of acres he
wants. If a person has pre-empted less
than one hundred and sixty acres and
wants to take up the remainder under
the Homestead act, he may do so, but
when he makes an entry under the
Homestead act he is supposed to take
all he wants at one entry.
The Land Office fees, payable when
Homestead entry of one hundred and
sixty acres is made, are as follows:
In Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa,
Kansas Louisiana, Michigan, Minneso-
ia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Wiscon-
sin and Oklahoma, eighteen dollars on
land at $3.50 per acre, and fourteen dol
lars on land worth $1.25 per acre. The