Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1904-12-30
Go ACRE HOMESTEAD BILL
To Amend the Laws as t" Certain tnap'
prnuriatcd Lands in South Dakota.

bled, That from and after sixty days af-
ter the / pproval of this entries made
under the homestead laws in the state
of South Dakota, west of the Missouri
river and not within forest reserva-
tions, may equal but shall not exceed
i'm area six hundred and forty acres,
and shall be as nearly compact in form
as possible, aud in no event over two
miles in extreme length: Provided,
That there shall be excluded from the
provisions of this Act such lands with
in the territory herein described as in
the opinion of the secretary of the in-
terror it may be reasonably practicable
to irrgate under the national lrriga-
ton law or by private enterprise, and
that said secretary shall, prior to the
date above mentioned, designate and
exclude from entry under this Act the
lands which in his opinion it may be
practicable to irrigate as aforesaid, and
shall thereafter from time to time open
to entry under this Actany of the lauds
so excluded which upon further inves-
tigatiom he may conclude can be prac-
tically irrigated i'm the manner afore-
said: And provided, That the lands in
Gregory county, South Dakota, opened
to settlement under and by virtue of
the Act of Congress approved April
twenty third, nineteen hundred and
four. shall not be subject to the pro-
visions of this Act.
Sec. .. That former homestead en-
try shall not be bar to the entry under
the provisions of this Act of a tract
which together with the former entry
shall not exceed six hundred and forty
acres.
Sec. B. That the entrymen under
the homestead laws of tie United
States, within the territory above de-
scribed, who own and occupy land here
tofore entered by them, may, under the
provisions of this Act and subject to
its conditions, enter other lands con-
tiguous to their homestead entry which
shall not, with the land already entered.
owned, and occupied, exceed in the
aggregate six bundled and forty acres;
and residence upon the original home
stead shall be accepted as equivalent
to residence upon the additional land
SO entered, but final entry shall not be
allowed of such additional land until
five years after first entering the same.
Any former homestead entryman who
shall be entitled to an additional entry
days after the passage of this Act, the
preferential right to make additional
entry, as herein provided.
Sec 4. That the fees and commits
sions on all entries under this Act shall
be Uniform the same as those charged
under the present law for a maximum
entry at the minimum price. That
the communication provisions of the
homestead law shall not apply to en-.
tries under this Act, and at the time OF
making final proof the entryman must
prove affrmatively that he has placed
upon the land entered permanent i'm
provements of the value of not less
than one dollar and twenty five cents
per acre included in his entry: Pro
vided, That when homesteader under
the provisinns of this Act shall have
served as private soldier or officer in
the army, navy, or marine corps of the
United States during the war of the
md cbo1
ably discharged, the time which such
homestead settler has SO served shall
be deducted from the time hereinbe
fore required to perfect title, or if dis
or disability incurred in the line Of
duty, then the term of enlistment shall
be deducted from the time herein re
quired to perfect title without refer
served; but no patent shall issue to any
homestead settler who has not resided
upon, improved, and cultivated hi
homestead for a period of at least on.
improvements.
When MIR. Martin recently returned
from congress the Deadwood Pioneer
Times interviewed him relative to thu
GAO acre bill and made the followin,
statement:
"Mr. Martins homestead bill doe
not contain any speculative features
A man making the entry must go upo1
the land and live there five years, an,
in order to secure title he must max
improvements upon the land to th
extent of not less than 5l.2o per acre
This will amount to nearly thousan,
dollars for each settler.
sit is hoped and confidently expected
by Mr.. Martin and his colleagues il
congress, that this bill, if it becomes