, 1902-04-15

Washington, d. c.. April 15.-(Spe
cial to The Republican .)-Representa
tive Mondell Of the house public land:
committee has made a favorable repor
upon Senator Clars's bill, which ha:
passed the senate, giving homestead
ers the right to purchase lands on Ger
tain Wyoming reservations. The re
port is as follows:
THE committee on public lands, tc
whom was referred the bill IS. 39OS)
granting homesteaders on the abandon
/ ed Fort Bridger, Fort Sanders and Fort
Laramie military reservations. i'll Wyo
ming. the right to purchase one-quar.
ter section of public land on said res.
ervation as pasture Or grazing land,
make the following report:
The reservations named in this bill
were opened to homestead entry by
the act of July 10. 1890, except the Fort
Bridger reservation, which was opened
to entry under the act Of August %.
1894.
The Fort Sanders reservation orig
inally contained 19.42s acres, of which
5,O2S are still vacant public land.
THE Fort Bridger reservation origi.
nally contained 1892 acres, of which
1881 acres are at this time vacant pub
lie land.
The Fort Laramie reservation orig
inally contained 33,4O5 acres. of which
25.107 acres are at this time vacant
public land.
These reservations have been sub
ject to entry only under the provisions
of the homestead law for from eight to
twelve years past, all of the lands
which are irrigable and Of value for
agricultural purposes have been enter
ed, leaving only the comparatively
valueless grazing lands u%ndisposed of.
Had the general land laws of the I'm
tied States other than the. homestead
law been operative on these reserva-
lions, settlers could have obtained, in
addition to their homesteads, other
tracts which would have been used for
pasturage purposes, but this they have
been unable to do under the circum.
stances.
1T is proposed by this bill to give
homesteaders and resident wner Of
lands on these reservations the opport-
unity to purchase from the govern
ment tracts of not to exceed 100 acres
for each such settler or resident, I'M
fitted for cultivation and homestead
entry, as pasture or grazing land. at
$1.25 per acre. The bill provides that
said purchase of pasture or grazing
land shall not with the land heretofore
entered exceed in the aggregate 800
acres to n owner.
THE lands which 1t is proposed to
sell to the settlers and residents on
these reservations, and which must be
untitled for cultivation or homestead
entry, are Of the ordinary character Of
arid grazing lands. largely rough and
broken. and would not be worth the
price fixed In the bill to anyone but
settlers in the vicinity, who a use
them for pastureing their stock. and
the government is making a most ex-
cellent sale II they they can be dis
posed of under the terms of the bill.
1.-The committee saw At to amend
the bill by bringing within its provis-
ions the abandoned Fort Laramie
wood reservation in Wyoming, which
contains 80, $50 acres. This reserva-
ton has been recently surveyed; and
not having yet been opened to entry,
the bill was amended so as to extend
the homestead laws to this reservar
ton as well as the other provisions of
the bill. This reservation is. with the
exception Of a few small valleys,
rough, billy. or mountainous. It was
thought best to amend the bill so that
it would apply to future homestead
entrymen. as well as those who
had already exercised that right, and
that It should be required that any
land owner who purchased under the
provisions as contained in this act
should also be q resident.
"A bill containing practically the
same provisions as contained in this
act, and which related to the abandon
cd Fort Fetterman reservation in Wyo
ming. was passed by the fifty-six con-
gress and has operated successfully
and advantageously."
The committee recommended that
the bill pass Al amended.
six COUNTIES Passed
AND six AHEAD,