| OCR Text |
Show Thi people of iMontana are somewhat some-what exercised ovor the relative advantages, ad-vantages, to that Territory, of the construction of the Northern Pacific or a "North and South" railroad to connect with the Central Pacific at Ogden, or Brigham city, or Corinne We are glad to observe, however, that the people of Montana are fully alive to the great importance.in the development develop-ment of their agricultural and mineral resources, of a railway connection with tha present established central road; and that Mr. G. W. Cass, the president presi-dent of the Northern Pacific It. R. company, as we learn by hia letter pub-"lished pub-"lished in the Helena Herald of the 19th insL, not only does not entertain any miserable jealousy against a North and South road, but favors, and looks to it as an important feeder of the road of which he is president. Ibis h a commendable spirit on the part of Mr. Cass, and shows that ho is above the petty jealousies that, in the strife ( for railway supremacy, furnish tho strongest arguments of the ante-dilu. Vians who oppose all railroads as dangerous dan-gerous innovations. THE ItKCI.AH lTtOS Or TKKKHT LAXUSia TUK Th.KK.lTOKli. Mr. W. H. Hooper, on leave, introduced intro-duced the following bill: A BILL Granting lands to aid in the reclamation reclama-tion of desert lands in the Territories of tho United States, which was read twice and referred to the committee on public lands : Sec. 1. lie it enacted by the Senate and Houso of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled: That for tho purpoo of aiding in reclaiming the desert lands in tho Territories of the United States, and of furnishing water necessary to irrigate said lands for agricultural and other u-cs,tho right of way through the public 1-mds be, and the same is hereby here-by granted to the said Territories of the United States for tbo construction of canals, with the right to take the necessary mitcrials of earth, stonc,and timber fir the construction thereof, and also the right to take and divert from any and ail rivers or streams running run-ning through said public lands the water necessary to fill and feed said canals : Provided, That the right of way shall not exceed two hundred feet on each side of the line of said oanals, and that, within ninety days alter tho the completion of their survey, copies of survey shall be forwarded to the proper pro-per local land-office and to the General Land-office. Sec. 2. That there bo, and is hereby, here-by, granted to said Territories of the United States, for the purpose aforesaid, afore-said, every alternate section, designated desig-nated by odd numbers, of tho lands lying on each sido of said canals as far as tho said canal shall have capacity to irrigate, but not to exceed ex-ceed ten miles from their lines ; Provided, Pro-vided, That the rights of settlers now upon the lands hereby granted shall be io no wise affected by this aot ; but the proceeds of the sales hereafter made of any of said lauds to which the right of pre omption has attached shall be paid over to said Territories of the United States upon the order of the secretary of the interior: Aod provided pro-vided further, That the lands hereby granted, and the proceeds of the salo of such as shall bo sold as aforesaid, shall bo applied in the construction of said canals, and shall be disposed of only as tho work progresses, and shall be applied to no other purpose whatever; what-ever; And provided further, That any and all lands reserved to the United States by any act of congress for any purpose whatever be, and tho same are hereby, reserved from the operation opera-tion of this act, except so far as it may be necessary to locate the routes of the said canals, or any of them, "and to construct the same through such reserved re-served lands. Sec. 3. That in the distribution of water for the purposes of irrigation there shall be no distinction maHft in regird to lands so situated as to be flooded by the waters drawn 1'rom said canals, or any of them, but each and every owner thereof shall have the right, during the irrigatiog-season, to sufficient water at rca-onablc rates to be fixed by the legislative assemblies of said Territories of the United States) to irrigate the lands which he may have under cultivation: Provided, That the owner or owners of lands as aforesaid shall, at their own cost, construct con-struct and maintain the necessary side-ditches side-ditches to couduct the water from said canals over their lands, the right of way for which, of sufficient width, over the public lands within the limits aforesaid is hereby granted as a public easement; and all ales of aaid lands shall be subjeot thereto. ' Sec. 4. That the lands hereby granted grant-ed shall be disposed of by the said Territories Ter-ritories of the United States in manner man-ner following, that is to say: when tho governors of the said Territories shall certify to the Secretary of the Interior that ten continuous miles of said canals, or any of them, from the point of departure de-parture on said rivers or streams, the waters of which have been taken out, is completed, then the alternate sections sec-tions hereby granted for such distance may be sold, and so, from time to time, until said canals are completed; and if aid canals are not completed in ten years, no further eales shall he made, and the lands unsold shall revert to tho United States. Sec. 5. That authority is hereby given to the legislative assemblies of tho said Territories of the United j States to incorporate companies, with power to construct said canals, or any of them, aod to transfer to such companies com-panies the lands and franchises here-above here-above granted. |
