The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-06-05
HANNA HOMESTEAD
ACTS PROVISIONS
HOMESTEAD BILLS INTRODUCE
ED IN LOWER HOUSE BY CONG.
L. 3. HANNA MAKE THREE
YEARS REQUIREMENT INSTEAD
OF FIVE YEARS.

Much interest is centered in the three
year homestead acts now pending in
congress which were introduced in the
lower house of the national legislative
body by Cong. l.. B. Hanna of North
Dakota, and which reduces the old five
year residence requirement for proving
up on homestead claims to three years.
The Hanna measure also carries with
1t a provision for leave Of absence of
not to exceed five months each year.
Cne of the most attractive features
about this bill is that all its provisions
will apply to the entries that have al
ready been made under the old law as
well as to the entries to be made here
after. Settlers can prove up at the end
of three years. g
Communication proofs, which have
been a sore point among many of the
homestead settlers Of the western
states, will now be made much easier.
The elimination of the 5000 payment
for Communication proof outside rail-
road limits and 800 inside the railroad
limits Will only mean staying on the
land a little longer and will be much
more agreeable and encouraging to the
younger farmers and settlers who are
just starting u
Mr.. Hanna, in presenting this bill
to congress, took the sane view that
the matter of even 5000 was vital to
the homesteader just starting out in
life in this day when the cost of farm
machinery is so great. He told his
fellow colleagues in the house that
farming in the west or in any part of
the country today is not what it was
twenty-five or fifty years ago and that
there was not the wonderful chance to
get ahead without the aid of these
modern farm improvements as in times
gone by. Consequently the item of
these Communication proofs was one of
vast Importance and great considera-
ton.
His far-sightedness in this particu-
lar is also fully appreciated when it is
realized the fact that it is much hard
er to get a foothold in these days than
when the country was entirely new
and the rainfall was greater than now,
n some of the drier sections OF the
west are all that are left. The eIimin-
alton of this old feature also gives the
homesteader greater chances to send
his children to school in the winter.
MI. Hanna took the stand that thiA
communication fee was exorbitant and
declared himself most positively
against the charges of the railroads in
this state. In a speech before congress
delivered March 20 this year, he said,
If the a happens to be within the
railroad limits, so called, as in the case
OF the Northern Pacific railway. he
Che homesteader) would have to pay
$3.50 per acre, or $500, to commute
upon 100 acres OF land. I have always
considered that this charge of $3.50 per
acre inside Of the railroad limits was
an outrage. I have always believed
that this was absolutely unjust and
have a bill before now to
stop this practice and to allow the
settler who commutes within the rail-
road limits to do SO the same as the
settler who lives outside the forty-nalie
territory
And of the brig features OF this
bill is the leave of absence provision.
In the anne speech quoted above,
Mr.. Hanna said regarding the leave OF
absence phase Of the question:
One other feature of this bill is the
leave of absence. The bill provides
that there shall be allowed the entry
man or his family a leave of absence
for FIVE months every calendar year.
This is a splendid feature of the bill
and should be adopted in the bill, for,
as stated in the early part Of these re-
marks, It is absolutely necessary many
times for the entryman, by reason OF
lack of oney and the necessity ia
earn some, and because he is just
starting to establish himself and has
but little capital with which to make
a home, or perhaps by reason of fail
ure OF crops, to go where the condi-
tons are more favorable and get a
chance to work and a ! some money
to tide himself over the bad times and
hard times. This leave OF absence viii
take care Of these necessary absences
without ~subjecting him to the possibii-
ity of having his claim contested and
putting him to the expense Of defend.