The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-04-02
NO SWAMP LANDS
SECRETARY SMITH DECIDES AGAINST
THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.
He Says the state Is Not Entitled TO
Swamp Lands in the ked Lake
ReseryatiOn-The Date for OPEN
ing the Reservation to settlement
Is Postponed From May L to
May Is.

Washington. March 29.-SeCrctary
Of the Interior Smith has reached a
decision on the claim of the Stale OF
minnesota to the swamp lands within
the Ceded portion OF the Red Lake
reservation. and, as already fore
Swallowed III these dispatches, the de-
cisi0n is adverse to the claim of the
state. Secretary Smith upllOldS Com
missioner IamOreux in this matter.
and denies the title of the state to
any of these lands, holding that they
were in reservation at the time of the
swamp land grant, and that the sub
sequent ceSsion for the purposes OF
settlement and sale for the benefit Of
the Indians cOnfers no title upon the
state. The secretary was unabl to
reach n conclusion with respect to the
four cedcd townships of the White
Earth reservation which were not put
into reservation until after the pass
age of the act of March II, 1860, and
has reserved his decision thereon
Immediately UPON reaching the de-
ciSion referred TO as 70 Red Lake. the
secretary signed the notices of the
opening TO settlement of these lands
under the provisions Of the Nelson act
Of 1880. The date set is May l.. 1t
had been intended to open them on
May |. but the whole matter has been
so delayed, pending the decision on
The swamp land question, that it was
impossible to complete all the fOrmali-
ties by that date, and May II was
thorCupOn agreed upon. Accompany
ing the notice is Il schedule of the ag-
ricultural lands which have been sur
Veyed up 10 date. The lands are de-
Scrlhed by f~orty-aCre tracts, and every
forty is included on which the return
of the timber estimates shows less
than 10000 feet of timber. The SChed-
ulc includes something more than a
million acres OF land. The lands are
subject to settlement under the pro-
visions Of the Nelson act, and this
II that they are to be governed
by the provisions CT the homestead
law in all its details, except that set
tiers are to pay S1.25 per acre for their
entries in five annual installments at
the end OF each year. the latter pro-
vision having been fixed by the Socre-
tary ut the request of Senator Nelson.
so that settlers will not have to meet
the land office fees and the annual
payment all ut the same time. when
they will he heavily burdcned by the
expense Of settlement.
Old soldiers will have the privilege
granted them hy the general law Of
counting their time of service against
/ the time Of residence required, but
they Will have to be actual residents
of the land and to pay the price fixed
by law the same as other settlers.
Squatters will nOt be permitted on the
land prior to the date of opening, nor
will proSpcctOrS be allowed to look the
land over. The lands are included
within n reservation, and outsiders dc
not have any right within the bOun'
DIARIES of the reservation until the
lands are formally opened, and the
fact that a settler was on the land
prior to that date would not only not
help his claim to IN entry. but would
defeat all his rights i'll case of con
fiCt.