The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-12-20
Plan of the American
C%attlegrowers'
ISOLATION.
TEXT OF the PROPOSES Law,
win Boost Irrigation, Too.--The
New Legislation to Hs Pushed
in This Congress.

The disposition Of the public lands
OF this country is a question Of in
~terest far beyond the limit Of cattle
growers, aid whether it shall be
leased at all is a mooted question in
large circles.
At the last meeting of the Ameri-
can Cattle Growers association, q
committee on legislation was ap-
pointed, consisting of John P. Irish,
Oakland, CAL; Henry NJ. Porter,
Denver, Col. A. B. Robertson, Colo.
RADIO, Tex; Bartlett Richards, Ellis
worth, Neb.; and M. K. Parsons,
Salt Lake City, Utah.
The committee. after a most care
full consideration of the question, has
prepared a bill, providing for the
leasing of the range, which will be
introduced in congress. The text of
the bill is as follows:
Section BE it enacted by the
senate and house Of representatives
of the United States of America in
congress assembled: That all vacant
public lands west of the Tooth merid-
ian west of Greenwich shall be leas.
ed for stock grazing purposes, SUBJ
ject to the right of homestead and
mineral entry under existing laws
of the United States, and when so
entered. to be Cancelled from the
lease.
Section 2-Leases of such lands
shall not be subject to bid. The
uniform rental shall be 2 cents per
acre per apnum, payable annually
in advance, and preferences for such
leases shall be given to owners of
cultivated agricultural land, for
leasehold to one acre of freehold. A
like preference of ten acres of lease
hold to one acre Of free shall oe
given to stockgrowers who are also
free holders; this preference shall
apply only to lands within the
counties upon which their stock
habitually range. If in case OF
either Of the preferences above pro.
vided there shall not be sufficient
leasable lands in the county to give
each person entitled TO the pre-.
ference the maximum proportion Of
ten acres to one, then said lands
shall be prorated between the per.
sons entitled to such preference
The further preference to lands not
leased under.the foregoing provis.
ions of this section shall be given
to the stock growers who. were in
actual use and occupancy OF said
lands during the year ending on
January l. 1901. to be leased to
them in proportion to their respec.
tive interests in and use thereof.
Where the states lease state lands
the bona hde holders of such state
leaseholds shall be be~neficiaries o
the preference given above to stock
growers who are also freeholders
provided that such state leasehold!
are not held by any n person il
tracts exceeded $40 acres in any on,
, body. Freehold rights under thil
section shall not apply to townsit'
, property, nor to any lands deriving
title from Spanish or Mexican
grants.
Section 8. All leases to run tel
years, with the privilege of renewa
for a second term Of ten years, thu
, first lessee having the preference
for such second term, provided b
shall have complied with the require
: ments of this law and the terms O
his lease, and has not allowed hi
: leasehold to deteriorate.
Section 4. The revenue derive
from the leases herein authorize
shall be paid into the treasury c
. the United States, and the ne
q ! revenue, after deducting the e,
penses Of administering this &C,
4 shall be held in trust to be paid t
such states and territories wherei
the leaseholds are situated, as prt
It vide a state engineer and other PR
t, per means for devoting the same
the diversion or storage Of waite
and its distribution for irrigation
agricultural lands. Only such ter
enue as is derived in any state Q
a territory shall be returned 10 il "a
In such purpose.
Section 5. The secretary Of u
be interior shall have the power TO eal