The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1900-05-18
FREE HOMES.
Summary of tho Effort to Secure
the Free Homestead
Law.
The New Law Means u Saving
of Nearly Sl54,OOO To the Set
tiers I'm Grant County
Alone.

The long fight for the Free
Homestead bill came to a success.
full finish on Monday, when the
senate passed the bill as il
came from the house of repre-
sentatives without amendment.
Very few measures have had
such a checkered career. The
change from the original home
stead policy was suggested by
Mr.. Holman of Indiana in 1889;
at the time several bills were
pending in congress involving the
the purchase of Indian reserva-
tions. Mr.. Holman's idea was
that when these were opened to
settlement the settlers should
reimburse the government for
it's expenditure; his idea prevail
ed and the free homestead policy,
which was adopted in 1862 and
had produced such splendid re-
suits was abandoned. Prices
ranging from so cents to 1915
per acre were set upon the lands
in addition to five years resi-
dence. The first serious attempt
was to change this policy
made in the 54th congress in
1896, though several bills limited
to certain reservations had been
introduced in 1895. On Jan. q,
1899, the house committee on
public lands favorably reported
a general free homestead bill.
After many fruitless attempts
to get this bill before the house it's
friends decided as an entering
wedge to put up bill to apply
the principle to Oklahoma alone.
Speaker Reed, who had blocked
The general bill, permitted it's
consideration and it easily pass
ed on March 16, 1896. When
this bill was considered in the
senate com mittee Mr.. Gamble
and other friends succeeded in
having it amended SO as to
make it general in its provisions
and it SO passed the senate, but
it died when it came to the house.
In the 55th congress the free
homestead bill was again intro
duced in the senate and passed,
but the utmost endeavors of it's
friends failed to get it before the
house. Toforceits consideration
senator PettigreW had it attach
ed as an amendment to the
Indian appropriation bill, though
the fact that it was an amend
ment, and held not to be ger
name to the appropriate ii
bill weakened it. The amend
ment failed of adoption by the
house bv Is votes, and the fight
was given up for that session.
In the present congress all the
influential friends of the home
stead proposition were returned
to the house; they were, Eddy of
Minnesota, Flynn of Oklahoma
and Gamble of South Dakota and
to these was added that tireless
worker Chas H. Burke. The
bill was reintroduced by Mr..
Gamble and SO effective was the
work in it's behalf that in the few
months since the session com
menced it has passed both hous-
es and is now a law. The follow
ing lands in South Dakota are
affected by the bill: Sisseton
and Wahpeton reservation 573-
822 acres, $1,434. 7O5. Great
Sioux reservation $500, 600
acres, M,648, 1877, Yankton reser-
walton, Isl, ,992 acres, 1868, 845.
There are about $4,000, 600 acres
in Oklahoma, over 5000, 900 in
Minnesota, and about 5000, 900
in North Dakota, Washington,
Idaho and Montana. Grant
county has about $1,000 acres on
the Sisseton reservation, and
settlers within its radius are
benefited to the extent Of nearly
1854, ,O0O-while our neighbors in
Roberts county are relieved of
over one million dollars.
The settlers on the south OF
the Sisseton reservation can
claim the credit of being among
the very first to interest con
gressin the free homes.
On Dec. 25th, 1895, a delegate
convention was held in Summit
tos consider the advisability or
asking congress for relief; reso-
lutions were passed asking for
free.homes. The'replies from the
congressman were not encOur-
aging, though they promised to
take up the cause. Small con-
tributions were made by the
settlers to defray expenses and
the following officers we're elect