Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-02-22
new HOMESTEAD BILL
Congressman Martin Introduces Three
Hundred and Twenty Acre Home
stead Measure in House.

The bill introduced by Representative
E. w. Martin which provides for 320-acre
homssteads in certain sections of west
ern South Dakota is as follows:
Be it enacted by the senate and house
of representatives OF the United States
of America in congress assembled, that
any person who is a qualified entryman
under the homestead laws of the United
States may enter by local b-divisions,
under the provisions of this act, in the
state of South Dakota, three hundred
and twenty acres, or less, of fnon-mineral,
non-irrigable, unrsservsd, and unappro-
priated surveyed public lands which do
not contain merchantabls timber, locat-
ed in q reasonable compact body, and
not over one and one.half miles in sx-
treme length: Provided, that no land
shall be subject to entry under the pro-
visions of this act until such lands shall
have been designated by the secretary
of the interior as not being in his opin-
ion, susceptible OF successful irrigation
at a reasonable cost from any known
source OF water supply.
Sec. 2. That any person applying to
enter land under the provisions of this
act shall make and subscribe before the
proper officer an affidavit as required by
section twenty-five hundred and ninety
of the revised statutes, and in addition
thereto shall make affidavit that the
land sought to be entered is of the char
acter described in section one of this
act and shall pay the fees now required
to be paid under the homestead laws.
Sec. 3. That any homestead entryman
of lands of the character herein des-
cribsd, upon which entry final proof has
not been made, shall have the right to
enter public lands, subject to the pro-
visions of this act, contiguous to his for
mer entry, which shall not, together
with the original entry, exceed three
hundred aad twenty acres.
Sec. 4. That at the time of making
final proofs, as provided in section twsn-
ty-two hundred and ninety -ons of the
revised statutes, the entryman under
this act shall, in addition to the proofs
and affidavits required under said Sec
ton, prove by two creditable witnesses
that at least one-sixteenth of the area
embraced in such entry was continuous
ly cultivated for agricultural crops other
than native grasses beginning with the
second year of the entry, and that at
least one-eighth of the area embraced in
the entry was so continuously cultivated
beginning with the third year of the en-
try: Provided, that any qualified per-
son who has heretofore made or here
after makes additional entry under the
provisions of section three of this act
may be allowed to perfect title to his
original entry by showing compliance
with the provisions of section twenty
two hundred and ninety-one of the re-
vised statutes respecting such original
entry, and thereafter in making proof
upon his additional entry shall be cred
tied with residence maintained upon his
original entry from the date of such
original entry, but the cultivation re-
quired upon entries made under this act
must be shown respecting such addi-
tional entry, which cultivation, while ii
may be made upon either the original OF
additional entry, or upon and used in
making proof upon the original entry
or, if he elects, his original and addi.
tional entries may be considered as one,
with full credit for residence upon and
improvements made under bis original
entry in which event the amount of cul.
tivation herein required shall apply tc
the total area of the combined entry,
and proof may be made upon such com
bined entry whenever it can be shown
that the cultivation required by this sec
tion has been performed; and to this
end the time within which proof mus
be made upon such combined entry ii
hereby extended to seven years from
the date of the original entry: Provid
ed further, that nothing herein contain
ed shall be 80 construed rs to require
residence upon the combined entry ir
excess of the period of residence, az re
| quired by section twenty-five hundred
and ninety zone of the revised statutes.
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