The Alaska citizen., 1915-07-05

James Wickersham, House Reps,
 Washington, D. c.
 We strongly favor passage by house representatives of senate bill seventy five fifteen reserving sections sixteen and thirtysiX in surveyed townships Alaska for sup port common schools, and location agricultural college and school mines government experiment farm Fairbanks.
 STRONG, GOVERNOR:
 70. r. GAUSTAD;
 DAN SUTHERLAND;
 w. M. BRITT;
 IN. A. COOMBS;
 "C. M DAY;
 DAN DRISCOLL;
 JOHN c. HE'D;
 JOHN NOON;
 "C. K. SNOW;
 FRANK A. ALDRICH;
 70. P. HUBBARD;
 "J M TANNER;
 "W. T. BURNS;
 "E. B. COLLINS;
 JAS. F. DAILY;
 "W. w. GETCHELL;
 TT. H. HOLLAND;
 A G. SHOUT;
 "T. B. TANSY.
 Members Alaska Legislature. v
 The telegram from the governor and members of the legislature so turned the tide that the bill passed by a viva voce vote largely in our favor. It was the last bill passed by the house in the 63rd congress. We are specially indebted to Senator Sterling, to Speaker Clark and Rep resentative Lenroot, and to the sup porting telegram from Governor Strong and the members of our legislature, for the successful pass age of the bill, against a vigorous and dangerous opposition.
 THE LAW AND WHAT TT MEANS.
 The bill was approved by Presi- dent Wilson before 12 o'clock noon on March 4. It's first section pro- vides, That when the public lands of the Territory of Alaska are sur veyed, under direction of the gov ernment of the United States, sec tions numbered sixteen and thirty six in each township in said terri tory shall be, and the same are hereby, reserved from sale or set clement for the support of common schools in the Territory of Alaska; and section thirty-three in each township in the Panama valley be tween parallels siXty-four and sixty five north latitude and between the one hundred and forty-fifth and the one hundred and fifty-second de- grees of west longitude (meridian of Greenwich) shall be, and the same is hereby, reserved from sale or settlement for the support of a Territorial agricultural college and school of mines when established by the legislature of Alaska upon the tract granted in section two of this act.'
 And section two of the act pro- vides that sections one, six, thirty one and thirty-six, surrounding and including the agricultural expert ment station at Fairbanks "be, and the same are hereby, granted to the Territory of Alaska, but with the express condition that they shall be forever reserved and dedicated to use as site for an agricultural college and school of mines: Provid- ed, That so much of the said land as is now used by the government of the United States as an agricul- tural experiment station may con tinue to be used for such purpose until abandoned for that use by an order of the President of the United States or by act of congress"
 Under the grant in the act, then, the lands where we stand are the property of the people of Alaska the act of congress stands as the patent of conveyance, but with the express condition that they shall be forever reserved and dedicated to use as site for an agricultural college and school of mines" The title to section thirty-three in each township in the Panama valley, stands differently for by the act the land is reserved from sale or settle ment for the support of Territor- ial agricultural college and school of mines when established by the Legislature of Alaska upon the tract granted in section two of this act" In short the agricultural college will not get the benefit of section thirty three in each township until the legislature acts and formally estab- fishes the college upon the site granted, by the actual erection of buildings and the opening of the school. And that is our problem number one: to persuade the Alas ka legislature to establish a Terri torial agricultural college and school of mines on the lands so granted by congress for that express use. The site thus granted for the To- cation of the college embraces four sections, or 2,560 acres of rolling birch hill and valley lands, includ ing the established government az. ricultural experiment station. It is not so easy to determine how much land we will get under the clause reserving section thirty-three in each township, for that reservation is limited to lands in the "Tanana valley" between certain lines of latitude and longitude, and is there fore rather indefinite as yet. though to be made certain by survey. It is quite possible that this reservation will yield as great an area as 200, 900 acres. This great body of land is reserved flor the support of a Territorial agricultural college and school of mines when established by the legislature upon the tract upon which we are now laying this cornerstone. The act of congress provides that this land shall not be sold. but 'the Territory may, by gen eral law, provide for leasing said l land in area not to exceed one sec