The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-12-19
SECTION OF LAND
FOR HOMESTEAD

Senator Fulton has prepared and
will Introduce in congress 640 acre
homestead bill for eastern Oregon,
modelled from the law that has been
in operation in the arid portions of
Nebraska the past four yeaIs. Follow
ing Is the gist of the Nebraska law,
whose features are Incorporated in
Senator Fulton's Bit.
Homestead entries shall not exceed
In area $40 acres, and shall be as neal
ly compact in form as possible, and
in no event over two miles in extreme
length: Provided. that there shall be
exc luded from the provisions of this
act such lands within the territory
herein described as In che opinion of
the secretary OF the interior il may be
reasonably practicable to iIIigate un-
der the National Irrigation law, OF by
private enterprise; and that said sec
Ietary shall designate and exclude
from entry under this act the land
which, in his opinion, 1t may be pos.
sible to irrigate as aforesaid; 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 con
clude cannot be practically irrigated
In the manner Aforesaid.
That entrymen under the homestead
laws Of the United States within the
territory above described who own
and occupy the lands heretofore en-
tered by them, may, under the pro
visions OF this act and subject to It's
conditions, enter other lands contigu.
Gus to their said homestead entry,
which shall not, with the land so al
ready entered, owned md occupied,
exceed GAO aci es and residence on
the original homestead shall he nc
cepted as equivalent to residence up
on the additional land so enter ed, but
final entry shali not be allowed foI
such additional land until fve years
after first entering the same.
That the fees and commissions of
all entries under this act shall be un
iformly the same as those charged un-
der the present law foi maximum |
entry at the minimum price. That |
the communication prosisions of the |
homestead law shall not apply to the
entries under this act, and at the |
same time OF making final proof the |
entryman must prove atfirmatively |
that be has placed upon the lands en-.
tered per manent improvements of the |
value IT not less than sl.25 per acre
for each acre included In his entry |
Provided, that former homestead
shall not be bar to the entry under
the provisions of the act of tract,
which, together with the former en-
try, shall not exceed GAO acr1s: Pro.
vided. that any former homestead en-
tryman who shall be entitled to an ad-
ditional entry under section of this
ac' shall have for 80 days after the
passage of this act the preferential
right to make additional entry as
provided In said section.
ShouI1 the Fulton bill become a
law. of which it is reported there is a
pery good prospect, many man
,ould afford to take up homestead
md live on it, whereas, under the
present law this cannot be done on
he hill pasture lands that are still
pen to settlement. And IL, ia addi.
Ion to this, law similar to the lNe-
'raska isolated land law we're passed,
living the homesteader a chance to
ny another $40 acres of pastu land
I auction sale, then he could run
mall tand of sheep, or enough cattle
r Irses to insure decent living tor
lis family i'hout his having to be
II working tor Tom, Dick and Harry
hree-fourths oi the time. Enact 1
bese laws, and there will be no need ;
4 resorting to the theoretical aud un
r ctlcal system OF land leasing we
ave been hearing so much about. A
uikable land leasing Till that would 6
ateguard the homesteader Is delu
Ion and II a honest eader we're to slim | l
D and file on all the water in a big G
asture alters stock man had lawful. ,
leased aud tencad the land, the !
Military would have to be called tut ;
} keep the peace
liz may seem strange to some of our !
aitern congressman that a section )
land should be required to make a
ONE for family, and In many cases
Ho sections, but before making in q
idious comparisons 1t might be well c
or them to know that only the very
oorest Of hill pasture land Is left
pen to settlement, aud that Oregon
as also within its borders, the finest 8
puft lands In the world, worth in ,
ome instances over $1,000 an acre. ,
But as the homeseeker from the east ,
oes not now have the opportunity of
good fruit land, or even
ood wheat land, he should be given Q
D Oregon, as in Nebraska, an oppor- s
unity to lawfully procure from one
D two sections of pasture land from I
be public domain, to the end that !
omfoitable, happy homes may spring !
p all over our bunch grass hills =
ossil journal. :
Hope for the Apple Holder. .