The Eddy current., 1898-04-30


Government 100000.
There IA today in the procession q
embryo laws slowly nling before the
legislators at Washington a bill which.
" II ever reaches FINAL passage VIII
stand out as one OF the most notable
features Of the legislation OF the cen
tury. People have occasionally heard
Of the free home bill. but they are few
indeed who know what Il really means.
Taken all In all, Il Is one Of the most
interesting measures that has yet made
It's bow to the public a free home,
under the Interpretation ~ the words
aa used In the bill means n quarter sec
tion Vt land. 100 acres, upon which n
citizen OF the United states can settle.
file a claim. and at the expiration OF
! five years prove up bis claim and a u
/ gal residence thereon. and obtain n pa
I tent for the land. the only cost entailcd
/ being the legal fees for legal formal.
ties. Most people have an idea that
there n nothing really valuable IN the
| nature of free homo LETT for q citizen
Of the United States. but the proposed
law, which has already received the In
dorsemont OF the senate and on'y
awaits the action OF the house. shows
that instead Of the supply Of the unset.
tied land being exhausted there are
az present ii.s74.S7i acres Of land 60
which only Uncle Sam owns title and
upon which the Indians have no lien.
Despite the fact that these lands arc
government property, they are not free
homes. Every settler must pay for
them AZ fixed rate per acre II Is this
payment that the free homestead blll
proposes 10 wipo out by nbollshing the
trust feature Of the lands and making
them open 10 free entry by settlers. BY
the trust feature Is meant that these
lands are held In trust by tho United
States TO be sold for the Indians. These
two trust reservations are the great
Sioux OF North Dakota. South Dakota
and Nebraska and the Chippewa rcser-
walton IN northern Minnesota The
FIRST was open TO settlement as q trust
reservation March ?. 1889. aud the SOC
ond, Jan. ~ of the same year. These
lands were divided into three divisions
those disposed Of during the first three
years after the opening Of the feserva-
ton being valued at 81 % per acre. For
the next two years the land was valued
at 10 cents per acre and now any one
can buy Il at 90 cents per acre. provided
he be citizen Of the United states
Without knowledge Of the clrcum
stances II might be- supposed that about
ali the desirable land In these trus.
reservations had been bought ip. but a
quiet investigation has shown that this
Is not the case. Indeed, n Is opcnely
stated IN Washington that n party ol
0 specuia Ors. well supplied with money
r have d icoyered what they believe &,
be a Klondike scheme-the glst Of 4
- being the passage of such law b,
Q congress and the immediate occupation
;. Of emiasarles Of the spectators ~ at
the desirable lands thus opened to -.,
!, settlement.
when one takes the maps OF tho IN
n terror department that show Just wha
of the public lands free to the settle
% have been taken mp. and the condition
that surround the sections remalnlnl
p unoccupied Il at once becomes evlden
It that In these two trust Csrryatlons ara
aside from military lands. the cnl.
y homes worth having open 10 settle
T. ment.
10 Nothing valuable Is left for IN
d homesleader outside of grazlng land Il
l. Oklahoma. and the same ~ true Of m
Is old Lake Traverse reservation. and th
n Yankton and Fort Berthold feserya
70 tlons In the DakotaR, the Crow rssai
ie walton IN Montana and the Sllotz resei
walton In Oregon. From time TO tim
these were opened 20 the free home
steadora and now what remains Is {
no value. on the nearly r. 600 900 Z
acres of land which the proposed Ia
m could turn into free homes. perhnr
one-eighth have been bought and occi
r pied by settlers. The rest Is virrln s1i
~ much Of Il fairly we'll timbered and
n- goodiy portion susceptible 10 cultivi
4 tlon. Here. then. are The ramalnin
as opportunities for the man who a. lo1l
OF ing for free home through Uncle Sar
h' when these lands wero secured fro
y the Indians by the government II WI
80 with the understanding and arseemal
ne that Just ns fast ns the money was pa
a." for them by settlers II should leccu
rd pnrt of a fund 10 feed. cloihe and cd
* cate the original Indian ownefs or the
$50 descendants. Therefore. n these lanl
NJ become open 10 free settlement. the %
a legation deyolyes upon the goyernme
Is. OF paying the original Indian owno
or or their defendants the aggregate su
X which the lands would have brought
le- sold at a fixed price. This would me.
on that Just as soon as the free homesiei
'ss bin became n law the Eovernme
$50 would owe the orlgnal Indian owne
he or their descendants the total amou
bis tine Great Sioux and Chippewa refery
III tion unallotted land would be worth
In the uniform price OF 90 cents an ac
M NJ the ieast-a tidy sum FOR the taxpa