Show washington D C dec 22 1915 mr william oneil roosevelt utah dear mr oneil I 1 am in receipt of yur your lot let iter ter of af december 18 1915 relative to the legislation so much desired bythe people of the uintah itah baa basin it ani and in answer will I 1 state that I 1 shall be prepared to introduce the bill granting to the state of utah the former fort duchesne with all its lands buildings and equipment for a branch agriculture I 1 college on i the re reconvening convening of congress january ath I 1 have found some difficulty in securing the description of the lands but expect the war department to furnish the samo to me within a very vry few days if you have the description and can mail it to me at once please do so I 1 notice that an act was passed approved february I 1 11 1915 authorizing 7 the secretary of the interior to survey 1 the lands of the fort assin military rese reservation rv aaion and open the same to settlement included in that act there is I 1 1 I 1 provision as follows see sec 6 that the thirteenth legislative assembly of state of montana having a law lav for the purpose of establishing an agricultural manual straining 1 training or other educational education ai public institution upon the present site t of fort montana duly approved proved op roved by the governor of montana and to be in full fo force rc and effect after the fourth day of july nineteen hundred nand end thirteen and upon the transfer to the state of montana by the president Pies ident of the united states of two thousand acres of land situate in said abandoned F fort ort reservation and embracing the military build ings at said abandoned fort except tho guardhouse at said aos post the pi president of the unit cd d states is hereby authorized an and 1 directed to transfer grant and set over to the state of montana all right title and interest of lin in and to the tha said two thousand acres of land hereby reserved ye reserved served embracing the buildings at fort except the guardhouse at said post upon payment by the state of montana to the united states of the sum of per acre provided that the state of montana shall be required to make its selection of two thousand acres within one year from the date of the passage of this act you will notice that the state of montana was required to pay per acre for 2000 acres I 1 do not expect the government will require payment for what little land there is involved in the fort duchesne proposition I 1 am positive that if the legislature had enacted a law for the purpose of establishing a branchi branch agricultural college there would be no question but that congress would authorize the transfer of the fort to the state I 1 shall have to prepare the bill granting fort duchesne to the state Stat upon the condition that the leg will pass such a law it will be harder to secure action with this proviso than if the law had already been passed by the state in relation to the bill transferring indian grazing lands on the former uintah indian res 1 1 er will state that I 1 expect to take this question up with the indian department and the chief r forester to rester as soon as I 1 can P get et them together I 1 expect the indian department to object to the transfer unless the indians are credit ted with an amount per acre for tb the lands elands so transferred As soon as I 1 learn the exact position of the departments in regard to this bill I 1 advise you of the same I 1 have already done consider able work preparing for the legislation sug suggested vested in your letter but I 1 will gladly confer with the balance of the utah depre senta tives with very best wishes I 1 remain yours truly REED SMOOT |