Brookings register. (Brookings, S.D.) 1890-1894, 1894-04-20

reservation about $4,000 acres in lieu
of like number granted under the
enabling act-which lands are worth
at least $40 per acre, while if this act
had not passed the state would have
been compelled to select an equivalent
number of acres away EOrth of the
Black Hills, where land is worth not
more than $l.50 an acre-sO here
would be a gain of 'S6SO,OOO for the
state. How is that for ''fol-de-rol?'
Tally $3.50, 600 more.
Then take the bill to open up the
SissetOn Indian reservation: AS it
passed the house it required that the
state should pay $3.50 an acre for the
school sections-that being the price
the Indians received for the land.
But in the senate it was amended
through Senator Pettigrews efforts so
that the school sections amounting to
| &c. 900 acres, were donated to the state
Outright-sO here would be a gain of
$3.50 per acre on 10000 acrcs-a gain
of 800, 900 to the state. How is that
for vapor?"
Tally 100000 more.
| Here. then from Senator Pettigrcw's
"buncOmbc bills which buchanan
saws "do not paSs'-but which did
pass-the public land inheritance of
the state of South Dakota is Swelled
| in value $650,OOO plus $6SO,OOO plus
800. .OOO-a magnificent total of
81 100000 How is that for a state
that ''has had as little as any state in
| the uniOn?'
Tally 81, ,430, 900. ONE MILLION FOUR
HUNDRED AND THIRTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS FOR THE STATE.
But even better than this-bettcr
because it settled the title Of citizens
of the state in their homes, instead OF
merely increasing by million and a
half the value of lands owned by the
state as a gOvernmcnt-better than
all this was the amendment secured
by Senator Pettigrew to the act re-
pealing the timber culture law. This
amendment embraced in section of
that act) settled in the settlers OF
Dakota the title to their lands, by
wiDing out the adverse and trouble
some and pcrnicious decisions of Will
liam Andrew Jackson Sparks, com
missioner of the general land office in
Cleveland'S first term-deciSiOnS
which nearly paralyZcd thousands of
settlers upon the public domain in
Dakota. This amendment made the
bill "a statute of repOSe" by settling |,
titleS-the importance of which can |
not be estimated. as no community or |
commonwealth can prosper until the |
title to the real estate of it's people is
fixed and unQueStiOnable. How is /
that for senator who docs less for
his people" than any other?
Tally millions for the settlers of
South Dakota.
And this same act also provided
that hereafter none of the lands OF
the United States should be subject to
private entry, and that they could
only be taken under the homestead
and desert land laws, and no person
could acquire title to more than 32O
acres under all these acts combined
thus reserving the public domain to
the actual settler. How is that for a
senator whose bills always miscarry?"
Tally that for actual hOmeSeekerS
and against the spectators.
And the same act, by an amend
ment which appears in section 8,
secured by Senator Pettigrew, reduced
to fourteen months the time of resi-
dence required upon Sioux reserva-
tiOn lands before the settlers title
could be cQuired-inStead of the five
years residence demanded by the act
opening the reservation. How is that
for a senator whose ''bills are quickly
cast aside?'
Tally that for premium upon set
tlement upon the great Sioux reserva-
tiOn.
And this same act by an amendment
which appears in section %, secured |
by Senator Pettigrew, disposcs of a
section of land on the banks of the
Missouri opposite Pierre, which had
been reserved for the Dakota Central
Railway company, and gave it as a
townsite to the people residing upon |
it. How is that for "a new Omelet ,
served in the senate?"
Tally that further for the actual
settler.
And, further-in the Black Hills a
number of people had entered valua-
BILE stone qtlarries under the "placer"
mining law, and the public land de-
partment had decided that the placer
mining law did not permit Of the
entry of lands chiefly valuable for
stone. Senator Pettigrew secured the
passage of an act allowing such entry
under the placer mining law, thereby
setting at rest these titles, and max
ing it possible to secure such entries
in the future: but this act especially
provided that no such entry could be
made upon school sections, or land
reservations granted to the state.
How is that for the "vapor' of ian
added egg?"
Tally that for quieting titles to
entries upon the public domain.
And, further-Scnato Pettigrew Sc
cured the passage Of bill for the .