Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-03-20
PAY FOR SETTLERS
MITCHELL BILL TO REIMBURSE
EASTERN OREGON MEN.
The Oregon Senator will Try to Obtain Re.
lief for the People Who Took Up and I'm.
proved Large Tracts OF Land in Sherman
County and We're Afterwards Disp ssessed
by Eastern Oregon Land Company.

Washington, March II. - Senator
Mitchell has introduced bill for the re-
lief OF settlers upon the lands of the
Eastern Oregon Land Company, in
Sherman county, Oregon. The bill au-
thorizes the secretary of the interior
to investigate and ascertain the reason
able value of the lands settled upon
tive persons whose names appear in
senate document No. 8, Fifty-fith con-
gress, and senate document No. 240
Fifty-seventh congress, and in which
documents are also specifically stated
an accurate description of the lands
claimed by each of such persons, to-
gether with the value of improvements
thereon, all of said lands being in Sher-
man county. The value of said lands
and the improvements is to be deter
mined in all cases where the settlers
have been disposed of their lands as of
the date of the BUSTING of such settlers,
respectively, from said lands by either
The Dalles Military Wagon Road Com
pany or its successor, or the Eastern
Oregon Land Company, in accordance
with the judgment and decree of the
supreme court of the United States
affecting the title to said lands.
The secretary of the interior is re-
quired to ascertain the dates when
these settlers, or any of them, were
respectively dispossessed of their lands,
and in all cases where such settlers are
still in possession of the lands so
claimed by them, the value of the
same, and of the improvements there
on, shall be determined as of the date
of the passage of this act Upon the
ascertainment of this information, the
secretary of the interior is authorized
and directed to issue to said settlers,
severally and respectively, a certificate
of Indebtedness, in which shall be
stated the exact amount each one of
such settlers is entitled to in accord
ance with the ascertained value of such
lands and improvements, as provided
for by the first section of the act, and
on presentation of such certificates, by
such settlers, to the secretary of the
treasury of the United States, warrants
shall be drawn in favor of such settlers
for the amounts so ascertained to be
due by the secretary of the interior,
which warrants shall be paid out of
any money in the treasury not other
wise aPprorr lated The bill appropri-
ates an amount sufficient to meet the
payment of all such warrants so drawn.
In the event of the death OF any such
settlers. the secretary of the interior is
authorized and directed to ascertain
and certify the value of such lands and
impr 7vements in the name of his legal
representatives., provided, however, no
assigned claim by any settler shall have
any recognition under the provisions of
the proposed act.
Senator Mitchell had hearing be-
fore the senate committee on public
lands in favor of his pill to reimburse
those settlers who paid $3.50 per acre
for their lands within railroad land
grant limits, and which were subse-
luently forfeited, at 1925 per acre.
He hopes to secure favorable report in
few days.