The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-08-26

If there is any one. thing that has
cause catrymen to lose more time
and money than any other thing IT. is
laws. Comparatively few people who
file upon public land know very much
about the laws and rulings under
their entries lea are made except
Dick and Harry"
Under the laws Of the United States,
the entryman is required to- comply
with the land laws as passed by con-
have told him. II congress passed a
law requiring three years residence,
and the entryman, relies upon some
and six months residence is sufficient.
he Will find, upon making. his procf,
that he has failed to comply with the
law, and he has no good excuse.
4 point that should be understood by
every public land entryman is that no
person can change the law, and 1t
does not matter who gives a wrong
opinion or advise the land and, department
a full compliance with the law as
passed.
The land laws are constantly being
changed by congress, and because
some years ago by sleeping on it once
every six months does not go to- show
that Henry Smith can get homestead
now with the same amount Of resi-
dence.
Every day people submit final proof
who have failed tc' comply with the
law through ignorance of what was
actually required; One man comes in
and shows that he has actually been
on the land only a very small part Of
| the time, but he swears that he had
| no other home. except the land" be-
ne has complied with the law as to
| residence, because he has been told SO
by people who We're supposed to- know.
| But the law requires actual resi-
dence during at least seven months of
the year. Another person shows in his
proof that he has actually lived on
the land for twenty-one months. but
year for three consecutive years.
Somebody told him that twenty-one
months residence was all that was re-
quireu.
who gives out this wrong advice,
whether it is an individual. a bank
cashier, a judge. the register or re-
ceiver of land office. or the honor
able commissioner of the general land
office. 1T matters not what anybody
may have told the entryman when he
comes to submit his proof and ask for
he complied with the law. and the cx-
cuse that somebody told him he did
not have to do this or that will net
luck. \ few Instances viii perhaps
| make this more convincing.
A number of years age, a man named
Reese, who had completed Il desert
! entry of 800 acres an dreceived patent
| thereto, desired to Initiate Il settle
ment. or "squatter's right" claim under
the homestead laws on land which was
! being resurveyed and was not subject
to entry. He had not used his hcme-
stead right, but had received patent to
sso acres n Of land an unaer the &c desert
suited told him he had no homestead
right and could never make a home
, stead filing, but the register CT the
land office told him he had a right.
| Relying upon the advice of the regis
ter of the land office, this man went
| BILE improvements, residing there about
| two years before the land was opened
to entry. When the land became sub
| ject to entry he rendered hi sapplic;..
! ton. which was promptly rejected by
the same register who had advised
| tice of rejection stated that he had no
homestead right because he had OBJ
tanned $40 acres under the desert laws
The fact that he had acted upon the
advice of this register did not matter
He had no right and had wasted his
time and money on wrong advice.
Another case was decided by the Sec
rotary of the interior some years ago
| in which the claimant had his entry al.
| lowed, and also had a letter from the
commissioner of the general land of.
fee stating that he had right tt
found that he did not have such right
and his entry was cancelled. even tn,
he could show a written opinion by
chit general land office giving him
right.