Show Homesteads and Desert Lands WASHINGTON January IqThe bill tq repeal the preemption desert lands arid timber culture laws and amend the the i homestead has passed the Senate Sen-ate The first section provides for a repeal ot the preemption law This repeal however does nott affect the rights of any person xhcVre accruing on the passag6 of the aofT 11 further provides that any person wbo has not hereipfore had the benefits of the preemption pre-emption law l and who has failed from any cause to perfect a title to tfieIand heretofore entered by hint under the hOme tead laws may make tt second homestead finery in lieu of the preemption pre-emption prmlege which is repealed Section 2 repeals the timber culture cul-ture law with a proviso that it shall not interfere with existing rights Section 3 amends the Revised StitnSea sothat persons who have availed themselves them-selves fiE tbtrLomestead laws may pay a minimum1 price for lands after eighteen months from date of entry provided they file apreHmlnary notice six months hefo7e > Section 4repcals the desert land act exceptas to the I claims Which exist at the date of the prjsiage of the act Section 5 pswvRles that no public lands except aEndoned military or other reservations mineral lands and other lands thesalff of which has been authorized by special act of Congress shll be sold at public auction or by special private entry All offered < public lands are withdrawn from market andishall be > disposed of as un offereulpublic lands Senator Dolph in a report accompanying the bill says that under tha1 present laws any perSOn can ncquirt title to 100 acres under the preemption homestead and tiinberotfltnre acts or 488 acres in all The committee is of the opinion that the time has eetue to limit the acquirement of government land by one nerson to TMacres = nether reason for the repeal T > f the preemption laws i law-s the Alarming increase of friiuGnlent claims under it lately Report say that it has lieen ohurgthatthilf ult was the execution ot thiglaw but the committee is of the opinfon that the law l contains such infiererft def cls that fraudulent entry cannot bc wholly prevented pre-vented The increase of fraudulent entries in its opimonv is doe to the increased in-creased value off lands and the consequently conse-quently greaterinducemeiTts offered forth for-th evasion of thelaw The repeal of the limber culturelaw fu recommended because it has proved failure The report continuing says toot experiment experi-ment has demonstrated that the desert land act instead of securing the settlement settle-ment reclamation of dtessrt land by aotifol settlers has Been made the means qb securing fraudulent title to I Lagricnltura Jands There is a I rapidly growing sentiment in ibis country for the repeal of alllaws providing for the disposal of agricultural public lands except the homestead law r that the putie domain shall hereafters be reserved for homes for settlers The coniTnittte is of the opinion that this should be the future I policy of the government Even if settlers are restricted to 1GO acres of land it will be but a comparatively few I years before alt tlie public landssnitable I for homes wull be exhausted In conclusion con-clusion the reportsaysr The practical I exhaustion of our public domain will force nponttlfe attention of the peQple of this country new important and difficult questions and in the opinion of J the committee tlie time when our rap idly increasing population instead of I I being able to take up > homesteads on the I public lands and make homes for theni selves shnllbe compelled to find homes in our overcrowded dities should by wine legislation bepostponed as long as possible n |