It is hereby ordered that Executive order No. 3748 of October 23, 1922, with certain lands in South Dakota for classification, be and it is hereby revoked in so far as it affects the public lands in the following described areas: Black Hills Meridian In T. 2 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 to 12, inclusive, N½ Sec. 18, SE¼ SE¼ Sec. 34, S½ SW¼ and SW¼ SE¼ Sec. 35; 1 In T. 3 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 and 2, NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼ and NE¼ SE¼ Sec. 3, W½ W½ Sec. 6, all Sec. 7, SW¼ NW¼ and NW¼ SW¼ Sec. 8, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 11, Secs. 12, 13, NE¼, NE¼ NW¼, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 14, SE¼ NE¼ and S½ Sec. 15, S½ S½ Sec. 19, all Secs. 20 to 36, inclusive; In T. 2 S., R. 16 E., Secs. 1 to 15, inclusive, 22, 23, 24, 25, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 26, NE¼ Sec. 27, S½ NE¼, NW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 31, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 32, S½ Sec. 33, W½ SW¼ Sec. 34, E½ Sec. 35, all Sec. 36; In T. 3 S., R. 16 E., N½ Sec. 1, S½ NE¼, NW¼ NW¼, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 3, Secs. 4 to 10, inclusive, SW¼ NE¼, NW¼ and S½ Sec. 11, SW¼ SW¼ Sec. 12, S½ NE¼, NW¼ and S½ Sec. 13, Secs. 14 to 36, inclusive; In T. 3 S., R. 17 E., Secs. 1 to 5, inclusive, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 6, NE¼ and NE¼ NW¼ Sec. 7, N½ and NE¼ SE¼ Sec. 8, all Sec. 9, N½ NE¼ and 10, NE¼, N½ NW¼, SE¼ NW¼ and NW¼ SE¼ Sec. 11, N½ and N½ SE¼ Sec. 12, SW¼ and W½ SE¼ Sec. 17, E½ NE¼ and S½ Sec. 19, W½ E½ and W½ Sec. 20, E½ and E½ W½ Sec. 22, all Sec. 23, NW¼ NW¼, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 24, all Secs. 25 and 26, NE¼, E½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 27, S½ Sec. 28, W½ NE¼, NW¼ and S½ Sec. 29, all Secs. 30 to 36, inclusive; In T. 3 S., R. 18 E., Secs. 1 to 12, inclusive, W½ E½ and W½ Sec. 13, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 14, N½ Sec. 15, S½ SW¼ Sec. 19, N½ NE¼ and E½ NW¼ Sec. 23, N½ NW¼ Sec. 24, S½ S½ Sec. 28, SW¼ SW¼ and SE¼ SE¼ Sec. 29, all Secs. 30 to 36, inclusive; In T. 3 S., R. 19 E., Secs. 1 to 17, inclusive, E½ Sec. 18, N½ NE¼ and SE¼ NE¼ Sec. 19, Secs. 20 to 31, inclusive, W½ E½, SE¼ SE¼ and W½ Sec. 32, N½ NW¼, SE¼ NW¼ and E½ Sec. 33, all Secs. 34, 35 and 36. And it is also hereby ordered, pursuant to Public Resolution No. 29 of February 14, 1920 (41 Stat. 434), as amended January 21 and December 28, 1922 (42 Stat. 358, 1067), that the public lands in the above described areas, subject to valid rights, shall be opened only to entry under the homestead or desert land laws by qualified ex-service men of the war with Germany, under the terms and conditions of such resolution and the regulations issued thereunder, for a period of 91 days beginning with the 63rd day from and after the date hereof, and thereafter any of said land remaining unentered will be subject to appropriation under any public land law applicable thereto by the general public. Subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the date of restoration to general disposition as herein provided, no rights may be acquired to the restored land by settlement in advance of entry, or otherwise except strictly in accordance herewith. HERBERT HOOVER The White House, November 2, 1929.
Executive Order 5216—Restoring Certain Reserved Lands for Resurvey and Opening Such Lands to Entry, South Dakota
Executive Brief • At a Glance
Executive order No. 3748 of October 23, 1922, with certain lands in South Dakota for classification, be and it is hereby revoked in so far as it affects the public lands in the following described areas: Black Hills Meridian In T. 2 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 to 12, inclusive, N½ Sec. 18, SE¼ SE¼ Sec. 34, S½ SW¼ and SW¼ SE¼ Sec. 35; 1 In T. 3 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 and 2, NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼ and NE¼ SE¼ Sec. 3, W½ W½ Sec. 6, all Sec. 7, SW¼ NW¼ and NW¼ SW¼ Sec. 8, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 11, Secs. 12, 13, NE¼, NE¼ NW¼, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 14, SE¼ NE¼ and S½ Sec. 15, S½ S½ Sec. 19, all Secs. 20 to 36, inclusive; In T. 2 S., R. 16 E., Secs. 1 to 15, inclusive, 22, 23, 24, 25, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 26, NE¼ Sec. 27, S½ NE¼, NW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 31, S½ NW¼…
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Herbert Hoover on November 2, 1929, this order concerns Restoring Certain Reserved Lands for Resurvey and Opening Such Lands to Entry, South Dakota. Executive order No. 3748 of October 23, 1922, with certain lands in South Dakota for classification, be and it is hereby revoked in so far as it affects the public lands in the following described areas: Black Hills Meridian In T. 2 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 to 12, inclusive, N½ Sec. 18, SE¼ SE¼ Sec. 34, S½ SW¼ and SW¼ SE¼ Sec. 35; 1 In T. 3 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 and 2, NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼ and NE¼ SE¼ Sec. 3, W½ W½ Sec. 6…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
Executive order No. 3748 of October 23, 1922, with certain lands in South Dakota for classification, be and it is hereby revoked in so far as it affects the public lands in the following described areas: Black Hills Meridian In T. 2 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 to 12, inclusive, N½ Sec. 18, SE¼ SE¼ Sec. 34, S½ SW¼ and SW¼ SE¼ Sec. 35; 1 In T. 3 S., R. 15 E., Secs. 1 and 2, NE¼ NE¼, S½ NE¼ and NE¼ SE¼ Sec. 3, W½ W½ Sec. 6, all Sec. 7, SW¼ NW¼ and NW¼ SW¼ Sec. 8, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 11, Secs. 12, 13, NE¼, NE¼ NW¼, S½ NW¼ and S½ Sec. 14, SE¼ NE¼ and S½ Sec. 15, S½ S½ Sec. 19, all Secs. 20 to 36, inclusive; In T. 2 S., R. 16 E., Secs. 1 to 15, inclusive, 22, 23, 24, 25, N½, E½ SW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 26, NE¼ Sec. 27, S½ NE¼, NW¼ and SE¼ Sec. 31, S½ NW¼…
And it is also hereby ordered, pursuant to Public Resolution No. 29 of February 14, 1920 (41 Stat. 434), as amended January 21 and December 28, 1922 (42 Stat. 358, 1067), that the public lands in the above described areas, subject to valid rights, shall be opened only to entry under the homestead or desert land laws by qualified ex-service men of the war with Germany, under the terms and conditions of such resolution and the regulations issued thereunder, for a period of 91 days beginning with the 63rd day from and after the date hereof, and thereafter any of said land remaining unentered will be subject to appropriation under any public land law applicable thereto by the general public.
Subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the date of restoration to general disposition as herein provided, no rights may be acquired to the restored land by settlement in advance of entry, or otherwise except strictly in accordance herewith.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts in absence of either a congressional grant or denial of authority, he can only rely upon his own independent powers, but there is a zone of twilight in which he and Congress may have concurrent authority."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"Power is of an encroaching nature, and it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it." — Federalist No. 48 (1788)
Madison would view this order with watchful scrutiny. Operating in the 'Zone of Twilight' where Congress is silent, each such directive establishes an administrative precedent that steadily expands the executive perimeter at the expense of legislative primacy.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength; and the power of directing and employing the common strength must be under the direction of the single hand of the Executive." — Federalist No. 74 (1788)
Hamilton would forcefully champion executive discretion here. For foreign entanglements, commerce defense, and national security, deliberative assemblies are too slow and faction-ridden. A unified, energetic Executive exercising swift command is precisely what the Philadelphia Convention intended for national preservation.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The president will be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants... and the great powers of the executive will gradually absorb the liberties of the people." — Cato IV (Anti-Federalist, 1787)
The Anti-Federalist prism advises continuous democratic vigilance. Even routine administrative directives aggregate centralized federal power away from town halls and state assemblies toward a distant executive apparatus.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Confined strictly to internal federal jurisdiction, federal property, or direct military command.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The order relies on inherent Article II executive discretion, civil service management, or foreign diplomacy where Congress has neither expressly approved nor prohibited action.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 5216 (Nov. 2, 1929), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-5216-restoring-certain-reserved-lands-for-resurvey-and-opening-such-lands.