Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1912-06-20
WILL Be OF GREAT Benefit
TO new SETTLERS Of THE
WESTERN States.
While Five Months Leave Is Granted.
Proof Can Be Made in Three Years
Senators Borah and Jones Bills Are
Consolidated - Commissioner Given
Liberty to Judge in Many Cases.

of six is one Of the principal features
OF the new homestead law recently
passed by the senate and house. The
bill as finally passed is a consolidation
Of the ones submitted by Senators
Borah and Jones.
The new rule now makes it possible
for homesteaders to prove up on their
claims in three years, instead of five,
as heretofore. Following is the bill
complete:
Be it enacted by the senate and house
of representatives of the United States
of America in congress assembled. That
section twenty-five hundred and ninety
seven of the revised statutes of the
United States be amended to read as
follows:
"Section 1921. No certificate, how
ever, shall be given or patent issues
therefor until the expiration of three
years from the date of such entry; and
if at the expiration of such time, or at
any time within two years thereafter,
the person making such entry, or if he
be dead his widow, or in case of her
death his heirs or devisee, or in case
Of widow making such entry her heirs
or devisee, in case Of her death, proves
by himself and by two credible wit
nesses that he, she, or they have hab-
liable house upon the land and have
actually resided upon and cultivated the
same for the term of three years sue
ceeding the time of fling the affidavit,
and makes affidavit that no part of such
land has been alienated, except as pro-
vided in section twenty-five hundred
and eighty eight, and that he, she, or
they will bear true allegiance to the
government of the United States, then
in such case, he, she or they, if at that
time citizens Of the United States, shall
be entitled to patent, as in other
cases provided by law:
Give Five Months Leave.
Provided, that upon fling in the
local land Office notice of the beginning
of such absence, the entryman shall be
entitled to continuous leave of alb
sence from the land for period not
exceeding five months in each year
after establishing residence, and upon
the termination Of such absence the
entryman shall file a notice of such
termination in the local land Office, but
in case Of Communication the IA months
actual residence as now required by
law must be shown, and the person
committing must be at the time a citi-
zen Of the United States.
Provided, that when the person max
ing entry dies before the offer Of final
proof those succeeding to the entry
must show that the entryman had COM
piled with the law in all respects to the
date Of his death and that they have
since complied with the law in all re-
spects, as would have been required
Of the entryman had he lived, except
ing that they are relieved from any re-
quirement Of residence upon the land.
Rules on Cultivation.
Provided further, that the entryman
shall, in order to comply with the re-
quirements Of cultivation herein pro-
vided for, cultivate not less than one
sixteenth of the area Of his entry, be-
ginning with the second year Of the
entry, and not less than oneeighth, be-
ginning with the third year of the
entry, and until final proof, except that
in the case of entries under section six
of the enlarged homestead law double
are area of cultivation herein provided
shall be required, but the secretary of
the interior may, upon satisfactory
showing, under rules and regulations
prescribed by him, reduce the required
area Of cultivation.
Provided, That the above provision
ms to cultivation shall not apply to en-
tries under the act Of April %, 1904,
commonly known as the Kinkaid act,
or entries under the act Of June II,
1909, commonly known rs the Reclama-
ton act, and that the provisions OF this
section relative to the homestead period
shall apply to all unprotected entries
as well MS entries hereafter made upon
which residence is required; provided,
that the secretary Of the interior shall,
within 60 days after tho passage OF
this act, send copy Of the same to
each homestead entryman of record who
may be affected thereby by ordinary
mail to his last known address, and any
such entryman may, by giving notice
within 100 days after the passage of
this act, by registered letter to the reg
lister and receiver of the local land
office, elect to make proof upon his
entry under the law under which the
same was made without regard to the
provisions of this act.
Must Establish Residence.
Section 2297. If, at any time after
the fling of the affidavit as required in
section 1890 and before the expiration
of the three years mentioned in section
2291, it is proved, after due notice to
the settler to the satisfaction .of the
register of the land Office that the per
son having filed such affidavit has
failed to establish residence within six