The report of the chairman of the park commission is as follows: WAR DEPARTMENT, The SECRETAary of War: GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK COMMISSION, We have the honor to submit the following: When the United States established this commission in 1893, the so-called avenues and the public roads over the battle field, with three exceptions, were ordinary dirt roads, rough at all times, dusty in dry weather, deep with mud in wet weather, and in a general bad condition nine months of the year." The commission has piked all the avenues except those on the Cavalry Field. In 1895 a bill passed by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ceded 14 miles of the public roads outside of the borough of Gettysburg, but within the limits of the national park, to the United States. Ten and seven-tenths miles of these public roads were accepted by the United States and the roadways have been piked by the commission. The Emmitsburg Road was ceded and piked 8,663 feet from the borough line southwesterly to the Peach Orchard. The State of Pennsylvania has taken up the work on said road from Confederate Avenue southwesterly, leaving a gap 3,480 feet. There is a similar gap in the Taneytown Road of 3,965 feet, a total distance of 7,445 feet, which would come immediately under the provisions of H. R. 13342, a bill introduced March 17, 1916, by Hon. C. W. Beales, and the commission respectfully recommends the passage of the bill in the interest of the public. A blue print illustrating the location of the roads is transmitted. Respectfully, JOHN P. NICHOLSON, Chairman. As explained in the letter of the chairman of the Gettysburg National Park Commission, the purpose of this legislation is to connect roads already improved so that it will be possible for visitors to the battle field to get from one improved road to the other at all seasons of the year. No other battle field is visited by so many of our people as the one at Gettysburg, and every effort should be made to render all parts of it accessible to the public. The improvement contemplated appears necessary to accomplish this purpose, and it will add very materially to the splendid work already done in beautifying this historic battle field. O 64TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 1st Session. EXTENSION OF TIME IN WHICH TO MAKE INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS FOR THE LAND OF THE FORMER FORT NIOBRARA MILITARY RESERVATION, NEBR. APRIL 20, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. MAYS, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. J. Res. 184.] The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the joint resolution (H. J. Res. 184) providing for one year's extension of time to make installment payments for the land of the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, Nebr., such as are required to be paid for at their appraised value, after full and due consideration thereof, reports the bill back with amendments, and as so amended unanimously recommends that the bill do pass. Amend the bill in line 4, after the word "of," by striking out the words "the certain," and insert in lieu thereof the word "such." Line 9, after the word "thirteen," strike out the word "which" and insert in lieu thereof the word "as." Line 11, strike out the word "extention" and insert in lieu thereof the word "extension." The joint resolution as amended will read as follows: H. J. Res. 184, Sixty-fourth Congress, first session.] JOINT RESOLUTION Providing for one year's extension of time to make installment payments for the land of the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, Nebraska. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to allow entrymen of such lands of the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, Nebraska, made under the act entitled "An act to subject lands of the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation and other lands to homestead entry," approved January twenty-seventh, nineteen hundred and thirteen, as are required to be paid for at their appraised values, one year extension of time in which to make each of the two remaining unpaid installments of the purchase price. The committee is convinced by the evidence that, due to the crop failure and limited means of the entrymen, it would result in great hardship upon them and probably in many cases in the forfeiture of their claims if payments of installments were exacted when due. The lands of the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation in Nebraska were opened to homestead entry by act approved January 27, 1913 (Stats. U. S., vol. 37, p. 651). This military reservation lies in the territory covered by the act of April 28, 1904, providing that homestead entries shall not exceed 640 acres. By reason of the fact that the lands on one side of the Niobrara River, which extends across the reservation lands, are better than those on the other side, the poorer and more sandy lands were made subject to entry and disposal under the one-section homestead law, above referred to, and were made free homes, while the better lands were made subject to entry in units not exceeding 160 acres and still required to be paid for at their appraised value. Fourteen thousand three hundred and fifty-five acres thereby became subject to entry under the one quarter-section homestead law and were required to be paid for at the value ascertained by appraisement. These lands were appraised at from $1.25 to $7 per acre, aggregating $56,733. The act required the lands to be paid for by three equal annual installment payments. The first payment was made when the lands were entered, in April, 1914, so that in round numbers, $18,000 has been paid and the payment of $18,000 matures this season. The extension of time is asked because of the failure last year of the corn crop of the entrymen, which was the only grain they undertook to raise, caused first by the cold and backward season, followed by early frosts, resulting in a small yield of corn, which was soft, hence of little value. The fact of the cold, backward season, that frost occurred in August in this part of the West, is generally known throughout the United States and the committee is convinced, by oral evidence adduced, that these unfavorable conditions were very damaging to the corn crop of the entrymen of the Fort Niobrara Military Reservation lands. Evidence, oral and written, shows that the corn in that locality was damaged to the extent of from 60 per cent to 75 per cent or more. The resolution having been referred to the Secretary of the Interior for his report, that official wrote the chairman of this committee as follows: MY DEAR MR. FERRIS: Referring to House joint resolution 184, to provide for extension of time to make payments on land in the former Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, Nebr., and my report thereon of March 29, 1916, I inclose herewith for the consideration of the committee four letters from homesteaders upon the reservation filed in the department by Hon. Moses P. Kinkaid. Cordially, yours, FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary. From the several letters of entrymen referred to in the letter of the Secretary of the Interior and sent by that official to this committee, the letters being lengthy and parts immaterial, for the sake of brevity, we quote a few excerpts as follows: VALENTINE, NEBR., November 30, 1915. Hon. M. P. KINKAID, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: As I am one of the homesteaders on the Government military reservation at Valentine, Nebr., and have made my first payment and lived up to the Government regulations and, as a homesteader, will also speak in behalf of many others like myself, will say in regard to the next payment, that we are in bad circumstances to meet this obligation in the spring of 1916, which comes due to the Government. We have been hit by an early frost, which reduced our corn crop from 50 to 60 per cent, which is hardly Jiving expenses for our families. This land was appraised excessive in some cases. I have about 50 to 60 acres of farm land and had to pay $7 for 80 acres of land. So you see it is hard for me and likewise others to meet our payments to the Government in such a short time * * * don't want to lose what we have accumulated. We have lots of debts to meet in proving up and would like to square up with our creditors, which, if there is not something done by our Uncle Sam, we will be in a bad fix. And by the time we would prove up our creditors would have our homes. There are many that don't know where their next sack of flour is coming from, without the help of a friend, so I have been told. I have been chopping out brush in a canyon to get a little more farm ground. This is some of the $7 appraised land. Now there is a petition to be sent to you. If it does not reach you in the required time, please notify me. Respectfully, H. J. YOUNG. VALENTINE, NEBR., December 29, 1915. DEAR FRIEND: I drew a homestead on the Fort Niobrara Reservation. I wish to say this, the appraisement of this land was a joke if not a crime. The joke is on me. I thought I was getting something for nothing. I spent $4,000 on improvements and on horses and machinery and ploughed and planted. Plenty of rain; no sun; the corn froze. I am holding the empty sack and now our Uncle takes my homestead right and when I finally can't pay, and can't stay, he will take my home and all and I can go back to the anvil and be laughed at. I am working at the anvil now in Valentine to get money to buy groceries. Respectfully, C. G. SORENSEN, A humble homesteader. VALENTINE, NEBR., February 4, 1916. DEAR SIR: I didn't inform you at all correct. We were just sight guessing at the crop we raised this year on the bad season just passed. Now in regard to what we raised, some of us lost on an average of 75 per cent or worse of the corn crop. I was shelling my corn and by the looks of it you would think that we had twice as much as we get. My corn don't shell out half as much as it looks. What makes our hearts throb is to think we have large families to support and pay our creditors and then pay Uncle Sam a large sum for this land which is worth no more than the living on them [it], and proving up, which is a big item, for Uncle Sam to get more produce to help feed the world. Why is it our forefathers homesteaded on better farms and land and didn't have to pay a cent outside of their filing fees and got better homes. Most homesteaders are very saving. They have to be or starve into submission or get off. We must feed and clothe our little ones and try to keep our honesty and integrity by paying for the bread we get and the clothes we wear. I remain, yours sincerely, H. J. Y. VALENTINE, NEBR., November 20, 1915. Dear Sir and FRIEND: At the request of a number of homesteaders I have prepared a petition to be presented to you. I inclose same, and I think it explains itself. I hope you will be able to do something for the relief of these petitioners. Many of these homesteaders are quite poor, and the corn crop is a comparative failure. While considerable corn has been raised, it is of a quality hardly marketable because of the cool summer and early frost. Very sincerely, yours, ROBERT G. EASLEY. The petition referred to in the letter of Mr. Easley is lengthily signed, inferably by most of the entrymen of the lands in question. |