Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-02-05
U. s. TO retain
Settlers COAL
Public Land Committee Oppose Con.
:. gressmen Gronna and Mar
shall Bills

Washington, Feb. 1.-The house
committee on public lands decide
to recommend for passage a North
Dakota coal land bill which will
reserve to the government the title
to all coal found on lands which
have been homesteaded, and to
which patents may hereafter be
issued.
Congressman Gronna stated that
he would bring in a minority re-
port, and it is understood Congress-
man Hammond of Minnesota may
join him in this report, recon-
mending either that the settlers be
given full title to the land and all
it contains, or else that the gov
ernment's right to the coal deposit
shall be limited to five years or ten
years.
Congressman Marshall appeared
before the committee to protest
against any bill which did not
give to the settlers a full and un-
qualified title to the land. Mr..
Gronna, as member of the COM
mittee, made final stand upon
the same principle.
Mr.. Gronna submitted a number
of amendments, but they were all
voted down.
His first amendment provides for
giving the settler full title to the
land, the second amendment pro-
vided that where the government
reserves the coal rights on the
lands it must exercise such rights
within five years.
Both Of these were voted down,
as were subsequent amendments to
force the government to exercise
it's right within ten years, and
give the settler upon the land the
preference in the sale of the coal
upon his homestead. The two North
Dakota congressman will undoubt.
edly have some substantial backing
in the house if they fight for the
full title for the settlers.
The action of the committee is
not antagonistic to the North Da-
kota homesteaders, however. The
committee has gone as far as it is
believed it could go in the face Of
the land departments recommend.
ations and the possibilities of mis-
dealing which might be opened up
through the passage of a law dis
posing Of the Ignite coal deposits
to settlers without compensation
to the government.
The thousands of settlers who
have settled in the Slope country,
one of the richest agricultural
sections Of North Dakota, will lose
their land completely when Goa
is found upon it, unless laws SINH
lar to that recommended by the
committee be passed.
The position taken by the com
mittee is that they have given tx
the settler everything possible, ant
that he will now lose only the act
ual possession Of the coal which i
found upon his land. The fight il
the committee has gone on for ove
ten days. - -----
North Dakota business organiza
tions declare that the prosperity o
the state is at stake.
Congressman Marshall and Gron
ma insist that the, only -equitabl
adjustment Of the situation is t
give the bona fide settlers full title
by passage Of a law to that effect
but they recognize that it will b
difficult to secure.
The report Of the committee i
in substance as follows:
"Any person who has made
homestead entry in good faith upo
land which has since been classi
fled as coal land, shall be allowe
to secure patent to the land, tn
United States reserving all coal
and the right to prospect for coal
''The government may dispose 9
the coal, but the purchasers mus
pay proper damages to the owner
of the land.
The homesteader shall have fu
right to a hearing to determin