ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE. 487 



" An act to enable honorably discharged 

 soldiers and sailors, their widows and or- 

 phan children, to acquire homesteads on 

 the public lands of the United States," 

 approved April 4, 1872, and by the 

 amendment thereto, approved June 8, 

 1872, it is provided that said soldiers and 

 sailors, their widows and orphan children, 

 shall have the right to enter homesteads 

 of one hundred and sixty acres each, up- 

 on what are called and known as " dou- 

 ble minimum " lands, or lands within the 

 limits of railroad land grants ; and 



Whereas, Many soldiers and sailors 

 had, prior to the passage of said act and 

 the amendments thereto, entered home- 

 steads within said limits, not exceeding 

 eighty acres each, and are unable, under 

 the terms of said act and amendment, 

 and the rulings of the General Land 

 Office, to avail themselves of the general 

 advantages of entering one hundred and 

 sixty acres of said "double minimum" 

 land; and 



Whereas, Such discrimination against 

 the pioneer soldiers and sailors is unjust ; 

 therefore, 



Be it Enacted, etc., That section two of 

 the act entitled " An act to amend an act 

 relating to soldiers' and sailors' home- 

 steads," approved June 8, 1872, be 

 amended so as to read as follows : That 

 any person entitled under the provisions 

 of the foregoing sections to enter a home- 

 stead, who may have heretofore entered 



under the homestead laws a quantity of 

 land less than one hundred and sixty 

 acres, shall be permitted to enter so much 

 land as when added to the quantity pre- 

 viously entered, shall not exceed one 

 hundred and sixty acres. 



LAW, Business. — Ignorance of the 

 law excuses no one. It is a fraud to 

 conceal a fraud. The law compels no 

 one to do impossibilities. An agreement 

 without consideration is void. Signatures 

 made with a lead pencil are good in law. 

 A receipt for money paid is not legally 

 conclusive. The acts of one partner 

 bind all the others. Contracts made on 

 Sunday cannot be enforced. A contract 

 made with a minor is void. A contract 

 made with a lunatic is void. Principals 

 are responsible for the acts of their agents. 

 Agents are responsible to their principals 

 for errors. Each individual in a partner- 

 ship is responsible for the whole amount 

 of the debts of the firm. A note given 

 by a minor is void. Notes bear interest 

 only when so stated. It is legally neces- 

 sary to say on a note "for value received." 

 A note drawn on Sunday is void. A note 

 obtained by fraud, or from a person in a. 

 state of intoxication, cannot be collected. 

 If a note be lost or stolen, it does not 

 release the maker; he must pay it. An 

 endorser of a note is exempt from liability 

 if not served with notice of its dishonor 

 within twenty-four hours of its non-pay- 

 ment. 



