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

final fees in these States and Territories
are eight dollars and four dollars re-
spectively. That is, land which the
Government. values at $3.50 is sold at
an average price of sixteen cents per
acre.
In Arizona, California, Colorado, Ida
no. Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyo-
ming the fees are tritle higher. The
sum of the fees on land valued at $3.50
that worth $1.25 it is twenty-five dollars.
The settler has to live upon and cul-
tivate his land for five successive years
or for five out of seven, if bad luck
caused by failure in crops or by sickness
should Overtake him. He is practically
debarred from vacations during that
time, as six months absence without
special permission will throw out his
claim, and, once out, he may never make
another entry under the Homestead act.
AS | have intimated, the only eXcep-
tiOnS are in case of the failure of crops
or sickness. If he can prove to the sat
iSfactiOn of the Government that he
must leave for time in order to pro-
vide SuStenance for himself or his
family, he may 60; but he may not stay
more than year. and as this time is
added to his probationary term it will
take him six years instead of five to
make final proof of his claim. If he
cannot make five years work in seven,
he must give it up. Final proof, then,
should be made at the end of five years
and must be made at the end of seven
years. 1t consists in the payment of
the second fee and in swearing that he
has cultivated the land as the Govern
ment requires. If, on the other hand,
the settler does not wish to remain on
the coveted tract for five years, he need
only stay six months, provided that he
has the cash to pay for the land at the
Governments valuation.
The Homestead laws are of use to
bankrupts. No matter what man owes,
his creditors have no claim upon land
acquired under the Homestead laws for
debts contracted before the issue of the
patent. Contrariwise, the land may
not be sold or given away before the
settler finally takes title, except for
specific purposes. In making final
proof the claimant has to swear that no
part of the land has been alienated ex-
cept for church, cemetery or school pur-
poses, or for the right of way for rail
roads, canals or drains.
Indians are especially looked after
under the Homestead act. Poor LO
may take up claim just like white
man, but with this difference: the In
dian pays no fees at all, but on the
other hand the United States Govern
ment holds the land in trust for him for
twenty-five years. At the end of that
time he is supposed to have learned to
take care of himself and the land is
finally decided to him or his heirs as the
case may be.
The desert lands of the United States
are to be found in the States of CalifOr-
MIA, Oregon and Nevada, and in the
Territories of Washington, Idaho, Mon
tana, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico,
Wyoming and the Dakotas. These are
lands which have no natural irrigation,
produce no native grasses fit for graz
ing, no trees and no agricultural crops
of any kind. One person may secure
three hundred and twenty acres of this
sort of land for $125 per acre if he will
spend three dollars per year per acre for
three years in attempting to reclaim it.
The applicant pays down twenty-five
cents per acre when he makes his entry,
and within the fourth year thereafter
he swears to what he has spent and ac-
complished, pays the other one dollar
per acre and the desert is his to make
blossom as the rose or some more edible
plant.