Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1910-06-09
CONG. HANNA'S BILL
FOR THE OPENING OF THRBER-
THOLD RESERVATION IN
NORTH DAKOTA. CON.
DITIONS OF BILL

NORTH DAKOTA. CON-
DITIONS OF BILL
Washington, D. c., June 6.-Con-
gresham l.. B. Hanna has had many
letters asking about the provisions of
the bill for the opening of the Fort
Berthold Indian reservation in North
Dakota. The bill was introduced by
Mr.. Hanna and passed both houses
and has attracted much attention over
the country. The general interest in
the bill is such that the following di-
gest of its provisions is given:
The bill first provides for a sur
vey of the lands and the contract for
this survey has been let and men will
be in the field within the next ten
days.
1t also provides that the United
States Geological Survey shall make
an examination of the lands to be
opened and any land that is found to
be more valuable for coal than for
agricultural purposes, is to be set a
side and reserved. I am having this
survey made at this time, so that
settlers who file on land in this res
ervation, will not have any trouble
when the time shall come for them
to make their proofs and have their
proofs held up, as has been the case
with so much of the government land
in the western part of North Dakota.
The bill provides that the Indians
shall be allowed to take one hundred
and sixty acres of agricultural land
or three hundred and twenty acres Of
grazing land in addition to the lands
previously allotted to them. These
allOtments, however, are only to be
made in those townships east of the
river in which they have previously
taken land and the balance of the
allotments which are granted to them
under this new law, are to be taken
west of the river.
1t further provides for the setting
aside as a place of historical inter-
est, the ruins of the old Fort Berthold
Indian Village and the Indian burial
grounds adjacent thereto.
There is also reserved whatever
land may be necessary for agency,
school and religious purposes. These
may be needed.
There is further reserved an area
of land, not to exceed six hundred
and forty acres, which is to be set
aside for the purpose of establishing
and maintaining demonstration
farm for the benefit of the Indians
: and the bill appropriates twenty-five
thousand dollars for building the nee
essary building and providing the nec-
essary stock and machinery. This
is the first demonstration farm to be
established in this way upon any res
ervation in the United States.
All timber lands are to be set a.
side and reserved for the use and
benefit of Indians. There are some
quite good bodies of timber along
the Missouri river.
Sections 16 and SO in every town
ship are given to the state Of North
Dakota for the benefit of the COM
mon schools and where any of these
sections have been allotted to the In
dians, the state is to receive other
lands in lieu for them and the gov
ernment is to pay the Indians for the
school alnds which are given to the
state and the bill provides an appro-
priation for that purpose.
The bill further provides that gov
ernment townsites may be located
upon the lands that are to be opened
and when the lots in these govern
ment townsites are sold, the money
! shall go into the United States Treas-
! ury for the benefit of the Indians.
The lands to be opened are to be
appraised by a commission of three
persons, consisting of a representa-
tive of the department of interior,
| citizen of the state of North Dako-
! ia and a member of one of the three
| tribes of Indians, the latter to act
as representative for the Indians.
There is no maximum or minimum
price on the lands whatever. The
lands are to be disposed of under the
provisions of the homestead <spd
township laws of the United States
and will be opened by proclama-
tion of the president. The settler
can live upon the lands as under the
homestead law for five or seven years.
and prove up, or he can commute at
,, the end of fourteen months, pay the
government price and prove up IL he
so desires.
At the time the settler hles on tho
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