The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-06-20
Full Text Of the Borah- Jones Meas.
ure Which Was Signed by the
President
COPY OF BILL TO ENTRYMEN
Provisions Of New Land Law Which
tiers Of the West and Designed to
Keep Homeseekers In this Country.
Statesman Bureau)

Washington, June 13-Following. is
the text Of the Borah-Jones three year
homestead bill as it was signed by
President Taft on June 6. It will be
noted that the law takes the form of
an amendment to sections 1921 and
2297 of the revised statutes. Under
the terms of the new law, copy will
be sent to each homestead entryman
by the secretary of the interior. The
three-year law follows:
Be it enacted by the senate and
house of representatives of the United
States Of America in congress as
sembled, That secion 1921 and Sec
ton 2297 Of the revised statues of the
United States be amended to read as
follows:
"Section 2291. No certificate, how
ever, shall be given or patent Used
therefor until the expiration of tl1ee
years from the date Of such entry; and
If at the expiration Of such time, or
at any time within two years there
after, 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 en-
try her heirs or devisee, in case of
her. death; proves by himself and by
two credible witnesses that he, she
or they have habitable house upon
the land and have actually resided
upon and cultivated the same for the
term of three years succeeding the
time Of filing the affidavit, and
makes affidavit that no part Of such
land has been alienated, except as
provided in section 1888, 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 a
patent, as in other cases provided by
law: Provided, That upon filing in
the local land office notice of the be-
ginning of such absence, the entry
man shall be entitled to a continuous
leave of absence from the land for a
period not exceeding five months in
each year after establishing resi-
dence, 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 COM
mutation the IA months actual resi-
dence as now required by law must
be shown, and the person committing
must be at the time a citizen of the
United States: Provided, That when
the person making entry dies before
the offer of final proof those succeed
ing to the entry must show that the
entryman had complied with the law
in all respects to the date of his
death and that they have since COM
piled with the law in all respects, as
would have been required of the en-
tryman had he lived, excepting that
they are relieved from any require.
ment of residence, upon the land;
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 one-eighth
beginning with the third year of the
entry, and until final proof, except
that in case of entries under Sec
ton 6 of the enlarged homestead law
double the area of cultivation: Pro
vided, That the above provision as to
cultivation shall not apply to entries
under the act of April %, 1904, com
monty known as the Kinkaid act, OF
, entries under the act of June II, 1902
commonly known as the reclamation
act, and that the provisions of this
section relative to the homestead pc
riod shall apply to all unprotected en-
tries as well as entries hereafter made
upon which residence is required
Provided That the secretary of the
interior shall, within 60 days after
the passage of this act, send cop.
of the same to each homestead en-
tryman of record who may be affect
ed thereby, by ordinary mail to his
last known address, and any such en-
tryman may, by giving notice within
100 days after the passage of this act
by registered letter to the register ant
receiver of the local land office, cleo
to make proof upon his entry under
the law under which the same wa:
made without regard to the proyi
sions of this act
"Section 2297. If, at any time
after the filing of the affidavit al
required in section 229O and befor,