The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-05-13
NATIONAL CAPITAL
An Interesting Letter From Our Regu
lar Correspondent.
HERSEY PENS SENTERTAININGLY
Tells What Is Going On in the Way of
Local Gossip - What Montana's
Representatives Are Doing.

enacted into law will prove boon to
all those settlers within the Northern
Pacific land grant and indemnity linn
its who have contests with that rail
road company over their claims. The
amendment in effect provides that
where a contest exists between a settler
and the railroad company, the railroad
company shall relinquish Its claim to
the land Oh which the settler is located
and at once take land elsewhere along
the line of the road in lieu of the land
relinquished. For many years the
people in the Palouse country, Wash
ington, have been urging the railroad
management to accept proposition of
this kind, discontinue the contest in
that region and allow the settlers to
get title to the land. Under the old
company's management the corporation
insisted on prosecuting the contests
and ejecting the settlers. Col Lam ont
the newly elected vice president of the
road. made a trip over the line last
year, and is said to have given personal
attention to all classes of controversies
with the settlers along the line of the
road, and among other things he ar
rived at the conclusion that it would
be better for the railroad company to
have a general settlement of all these
land contests. the road relinquishing
its claims and taking other lands in
lieu of those surrendered The amend
ment carefully guards against any in =
crease OF acreage for the road If the
amendment becomes a law the secIe-
tary Of the interior is to submit to the
Northern Pacific company a list of all
lands in contest with settlers. where
upon the company is to Quit-claim the
land to the United States aud take
other lands in lieu thereof. 1t is be-
lieved the lands relinquished, which
are generally improved, will be much
more valuable than the lands the com
pany can now select il lieu OF thosa
re]inquished, but an era Of peace and
freedom from controversy will be some
measure of compensation to the rail
road for the difference in the value of
the land. 1t is said that about one
hundred acres is the average area in
contest in each case and there are, it
is said, about 5000 settlers who have
contests with the company thus max
ing about 500, 900 acres of land which
the company would relinGuish to set
tiers.
Senator Carter's bill providing for
the opening to settlement of the Ma
ginnis reservation, which passed the
senate April 20 and was referred to the
committee OIL public lauds Gf the house
April 21 is as follows:
BE it enacted, etc.,
"That all lands which have hereto
fore been excluded from the limits of
the Fort Maginnis military reservation
in the State OF Montana, shall be open
to the opertaien of the laws regulating
homestead entry, and to entry under
the townsite laws and the laws gov
erning the disposal of coal lands, des-
ert lands and mineral lands, and shall
be subject to sale under the provisions
Of an act relating to the sale of aban-
doned military reservations.
"Sec. 2. That any entry heretofore
made in good faith by legally quail
fed preson under either the homestead.
townsite. desert land or mineral land
laws of the United States upon any of
the excluded portions Of said reserva-
tion shall, if regular in form and free
from adverse claim, be held valid, aud
the secretary of the interior, upon ap
plication of the entryman, if made
within one year from the approval Of
this act. is directed where adverse i'll
teres ts have not interviewed to reinstate
such entries under either of said laws
as he may heretofore have cancelled
because of construction based upon
the opinion that the laws mentioned in
Section l of this act did not apply to
the abandoned portions of said reser
vation."
Commissioner Hermann, in a letter
to the secretary of the interior, gives
the area of agricultural lands in tie
reservation as numbering "a, l59 30
acres. The unsurveyed portion is esti-
mated to contain 6, 749. 96 acres
The commissioner in his letter says
81 he area of the reservation being
in excess of 5000 acres, and it having
been turned over to this department
prior to the passage of the act of Aug
lst %, 1894, the lands therein are, un-
der the provisions of this; act, opened |
10 settlement under the public land
laws Of the United States, with the re-
luirement that persons who make
entry therefor shall pay for
the lands entered the appraised value
thereof, at their option. in five equal
installments, at times and rates of in
terest to be fixed by the secretary of
the interior.
ga large number of homestead en-
tries and coal declaratory statements
have been made for lands in this reser-
vauion. but it does not appear from an
of the records that any of |
said entries or filing have been cancelled
On the ground that the lands were not
subject to such entries and
filings.
"The lands embraced in this reser-
vation being in comparatively new
and sparsely settled region, I see no
reason why they should not be disposed
Of as other public lands.
Our delegation have made every
nffort tO Sacnre a fair represeutatiOu of