HOMESTEAD SETTLERS IN ALABAMA.

FEBRUARY 22, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. CRAIG, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 24471.]

The Committee on the Public Lands having had under consideration the bill (H. R. 24471) for the relief of certain homestead settlers in Alabama, respectfully report as follows:

The committee recommends that the preamble and all of the bill after the enacting clause be stricken out, and that there be inserted after the enacting clause the following:

That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized to cause an investigation to be made by an examiner of surveys, of the former south boundary of the State of Alabama, lying between ranges four and fourteen east, of the Saint "Stephens meridian, as run and marked for the base of the original Alabama surveys; and of the condition of the surveys and lands in the vicinity affected by the restoration of the official or Ellicott line, and to report to the Congress as to what action, if any, is necessary and advisable to determine the status of the tracts of land affected by said restoration.

The necessity for this investigation is brought about by the fact that two surveys of the boundary line between Alabama and Florida exist at the point named in the amendment proposed by the committee. After the running of the first line the Government patented certain lands north of that line and designated them as Alabama lands. Some years later the other line was run, and it was located north of the original line, thus placing certain lands, which had theretofore been designated as Alabama lands, in Florida, and the Government proceeded to patent the same and to designate them as Florida lands. In this way the same land was patented twice, once as Alabama land and once as Florida land. This has brought about a considerable amount of confusion and very great inconvenience, and probably litigation on the part of the holders of the patents. The Commissioner of the General Land Office in writing of this matter in a letter addressed to the late

Hon. A. A. Wiley, Representative from the Second District of Alabama, on April 30, 1908, said:

Under the imperfect methods in use in the early days, Whitner made very vague notes of his intersections of the lines of sections cut off in Alabama; also Perry, in his survey of enlarged areas on the Florida side, gave no connection distances to any of the north and south section lines of the Alabama survey.

The lack of such connections to show relative position makes it almost impossible to find and identify the missing areas set over into Florida and there disposed of.

And it may be well to state that the base line of the original Alabama surveys was never a valid line, run under authority of the United States, so far as any extant records show, and has fallen into the condition of an illegal state boundary of traditional position, without field notes to identify it at the present time.

Under these disadvantages no way appears enabling this office to be committed to any opinion or decision by which your correspondent may receive the aid requested; and there is no existing law under which this office can intervene to execute a new survey that will restore full area to this claimant and take the difference from some proprietor in Florida.

In addition to this the committee finds that when the second survey was run, the land on the Florida side was platted, while that on the Alabama side was not platted, but was left without anything being done which would identify it and enable the holders to locate their land. The committee is of opinion that it might not be absolutely necessary for a resurvey of the lines already run, and that an examination by an examiner of surveys and a report by him will give such information as will enable the holders of patents to settle their differences.

The committee also doubted the propriety of a survey by the Government of a boundary line between these two States, without having before it further information, such as will be obtained by an examination made by an examiner of surveys.

The committee recommends that the bill as amended be passed.

2d Session.

No. 2224.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON MEMORIAL, WASHINGTON, D. C.

FEBRUARY 23, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. HAMILTON, of Michigan, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. J. Res. 225.]

The Committee on the Library, having had under consideration the joint resolution (H. J. Res. 225) authorizing the selection of a site and the erection of a pedestal for the Alexander Hamilton memorial in Washington, D. C., recommend that the same do pass.

ERECTION OF MEMORIAL ARCHES AT VALLEY FORGE, PA.

FEBRUARY 23, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. MCCALL, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 17986.]

The Committee on the Library, having had under consideration the bill (H. R. 17986) providing for the erection of two memorial arches at Valley Forge, Pa., recommend that it do pass.

The name of Valley Forge is revered by 'all patriotic Americans. It is associated with a very great crisis in our history. A considerable part of the encampment grounds of General Washington at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78 has always been in forest, and the greater part of the earthworks-consisting of intrenchments, the star redoubts, and Forts Washington and Huntingdon-have not been greatly affected by the elements nor disturbed by man, and an imposing celebration of the anniversary of the evacuation was held on June 19, 1878. A result of this celebration was the formation of the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge by patriotic women, who purchased the house which General Washington occupied during the latter and greater part of the encampment, and its restoration to its condition when occupied by Washington.

By an act approved May 30, 1893, the general assembly of Pennsylvania declared that

the title to and ownership in the ground covering said site, including Forts Washington and Huntingdon, and the intrenchments adjacent thereto, and the adjoining grounds, in all not exceeding two hundred and fifty acres, but not including therein the property known as Washington's Headquarters and now owned by the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge, * * shall be vested in the State of Pennsylvania, to be laid out, preserved, and maintained forever as a public place or park by the name of Valley Forge, so that the same and the fortifications thereon may be maintained as nearly as possible in their original condition as a military camp, and may be preserved for the enjoyment of the people of the said State.

This act further provided for the appointment, by the governor, of 10 citizens as commissioners to serve without compensation, and for the acquisition of the site, compensation of the owners, and the