The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1911-04-21

Un0er tneSt CouuitltnN lntic Us
no incentive to prove up and begin
paying taxes, until the last day al
lowed, which is seven years.
| The Valley County News, whose
Editor, Walter Shanley. - also Re
ceiver at the u. S. Land Ofice at
Glasgow, last week published the
following which bears Oh the case:
The U. $. Land Once Is N receipt OF
copies OF the act Of February ;. 1914,
which allows second homestead aud desert
entries and the act u March ). I9iI.
which amends section OF the act Of May
1. 1883.
The commissioner says in part
while this will permit commutation OF
homestead entries. in the absence of other
objections. il does not anthorize Commuta-
ton OF homestead entries made nnder the
enlarged homestead ACT OF February 10,
1909. t3s Stat. o3o,. or the act oi June ~.
1910. go Stat. 5ss). providing Tor home
stead entries on coal lands. nor any other
law prohibiting the Communication of home
stead entries made therennde-. II merely
removes the general inhibiion against
Communication in said Sec, OF the act oi
May I. 1855
You will suspend all applications which
may be received by YOU under the ahnvc
acts. pending receipt of instruction from
this office. which are now in course Of pre-
paration "
According to in e above. all entries OF
what ever size that are taken subject tn
the provisions of the act OF June ~. 1910
can not be commuted but are Subject to-
the conditions, as to residence and cultiva-
tion. OF entries provided for under the act
approved February 10. 1909, entitled An
act to provide for an enlarged homestead.
All entries subject to act of June ~, 1910
are subject to Ave years residence and e.
cultivate at least one-fourth Of the entry
Ii does seem to the SeaTchhghi
that no country has ever been de
, vcloped OF settled under such ad-
verse conditions as Eastern Va ley
County. FIRST a fraudulent ap-
proval oil survey was made by a
man who rs now doing time IN a
) federal prison Tor the ohensc. Al.
ter great effort on the part OF the
business men of CulbeTtson, this
matter was cleared up, the old
survey approved and the county
opened Tor filing. In the mean
time hundreds OF Turtle Mountain
, Indians were allotted much oi the
, best land in the country. Then
the whole OF Eastern Valley Coun-
, " was Withdrawn from filing to al
low a pauper band oi Rocky Boy
Indians to pick out all the choice
pieces which still remained.
The Searchlight at this time gave
the alarm. l.. w. Hill and other
boosters became Interested and
, the Rocky Boys were relegated TO
another part oi the state and the
land again opened for entry.
Now comes this limited patent
proposition, applying to every
homestead which will hereafter he
proved up in Eastern Valley
County.
AS a matter OF tact, most OF the
farms in Eastern Valley County
: are not underlaid with coal in such
5 quantities that IL can be properly
$ mined, but the government throws
the burden OF proof upon the set
| tier to show this, or forces him to
Y accept a limited title To his land.
II 1t were up to the government 10
!, prove that each claim upon which
r il gives a limited patent, was un'
! derlaid with coal, that would be
{ another proposition.
E We believe that herin lies the
E remedy to the whole proposition
E II every entryman, when h9 goe:
before a u. 5. Commissioner &c
r prove up, will make affidavit tha
p to the best OF his knowledge ano
: belief no coal in marketable quan
4 titles underlies his claim, and takes
+, his stand upon that ground, reius
|, ing to accept a limited patent, th'
government will be forced TO as
sumo the burden OF proof or delive