Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1905-02-11
THE MARTIN HOMESTEAD BILL.
New Homestead Bill as Amended and
Introduced by Congressman Mar
TIN January 81.

introduced by Congressman Mar
TIN January 81.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
Of Representatives Of the United States
Of America in Congress assembled, That
from and after four months after the ap-
proval of this Act entries made under
the homestead laws in the State ofSouth
Dakota, west of the Missouri River and
not within forest reserves or other res
ervations, may equal but shall not ex.
ceed in area Fix hundred and forty acres
and shall be as nearly compact in form
as possible and in no event over two
miles in extreme length nor more than
one mile in length along the course of a
stream of water: Provided, That there
shall be excluded from the operation of
this Act snch lands within the territory
herein described as in the opinion of
the Secretary of the Interior it may be
reasonably practicable 10 irrigate under
the national irrigation law or by private
enterprise, and that said Secretary shall,
prior TO the date above mentioned, des-
ignate and exclude from entry under
this Act the lands which in his opinion
il may be practicable to irrigate as afore-
said, and shall thereafter from time TO
time open to entry under this Act any
of the lands so excluded which upon
further investigation he may conclude
can not be practically irrigated in the
manner aforesaid: And provided, That
the lands in Gregory county, South Da
kota, opened to settlement under and bv
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. 2. That former homestead en-
try shall not be bar to an entry under
this Act Of tract which together with
the former entry shall not exceed six
hundred and forty acres, and any home
stead settler within tho territory above
described, whose claim has not passed to
final entry at the time this Act shall be.
come operative, may have the privilege
OF relinquishing such claim, end may
thereupOn make new homestead under
this Act of not to exceed six hundred
and forty acres.
Sec 3. That settler under the home
stead laws Of the United States, within
the territory above described, who owns
and occupies the land heretofore enter
ed by whom or whose claim has not
passed to final entry may, under the
provisions Of this Act and suhjecL 10 its
conditions, enter other lands contiguous
10 his homestead entry which shall not.
with the land already entered, owned,
and occupied, exceed in the aggregate
six hundred and forty acres and resi-
dence upon the original homestead 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 home
stead settler whose entry was made prior
to January first, nineteen hundred and
five, and who shall be entitled to an ad-
ditional entry under this section shall
have, for thirty days after the homestead
provisions of this Act become operative,
the preference right TO make such addi
tional entry, aud all conflicts under the
preference right hereby conferred shall
be equitably adjusted by the Secretary
of the Interior
Sec. A. That the fees and commissions
on all entries under this Act shall be
uniformly tho same as those charged un
der the present law for maximum en-
try at minimum price. That the com
law shall not apply to entries under this
Act, and at the time of making final
proof the entryman must prove atfirma-
lively that he has resided on the land
continuously for five years and has
placed upon the land entered permanent
improvements of the value of not less
for each acre included in his entry,
which Improvements must be made to
the extent Of at least thirty cents per
acre per annum and proof thereof made
to the local land Office each year under
such regulations as the Secretary of the
Interior may prescribe in that behalf:
lat -,
any one year and proof thereof as re
quired by such regulations in excess of
thirty cents per acre per annum shall
apply on the requirements for subse
quent years: Provided further, that
when hOmesteader under the provi
sons Of this Act shall have served as u
Navy or Marine Corps of the United
States during the war of the rebellion or
during the war with Spain, or the Phil
ippine insurrection and shall have been
honorably discharged, the time which
such homestead settler has 81 served
shall be deducted from the time herein
before required to perfect title, or if dis
charged on account Of wounds received
or disability incurred in the line duty,
then the term of enlistment shall be de.
Quoted from the time herein required to
perfect title without reference to the
length of time he may have served I; but
no patent shall issue to any homestead
settler who has not resided upon, i'm
proved, and cultivated his homestead for
| a period of at least three years after he
shall have commenced his improve
ments.
The Northwest Post published at Belle
Fourche, is authority for the statement
that the big government irrigation ditch
near that place will certainly be dug in
al, Thiu I'll .,