The Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, is authorized to decide upon principles of equity and justice, as recognized in courts of equity, and in accordance with regulations to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior, consistently with such principles, all cases of suspended entries of public lands and of suspended preemption land claims, and to adjudge in what cases patents shall issue upon the same.

Every such adjudication shall be approved by the Secretary of the Interior and shall operate only to divest the United States of the title to the land embraced thereby, without prejudice to the rights of conflicting claimants.

Where patents have been already issued on entries which are approved by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, upon the canceling of the outstanding patent, is authorized to issue a new patent, on such approval, to the person who made the entry, his heirs or assigns.

Sections 2501 to 2503 of this title shall be applicable to all cases of suspended entries and locations, which have arisen in the Bureau of Land Management since the 26th day of June 1856 as well as to all cases of a similar kind which may hereafter occur, embracing as well locations under bounty-land warrants as ordinary entries or sales, including homestead entries and preemption locations or cases; where the law has been substantially complied with, and the error or informality arose from ignorance, accident, or mistake which is satisfactorily explained; and where the rights of no other claimant or preemptor are prejudiced, or where there is no adverse claim.

Whenever it shall appear to the Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, that a clerical error has been committed in the entry of any of the public lands such entry may be suspended, upon proper notification to the claimant, through the local land office, until the error has been corrected; and all entries made under the preemption, homestead, desert-land, or timber-culture laws, in which final proof and payment may have been made and certificates issued, and to which there are no adverse claims originating prior to final entry and which have been sold or incumbered prior to the 1st day of March, 1888, and after final entry, to bona fide purchasers, or incumbrancers, for a valuable consideration, shall unless upon an investigation by a Government agent, fraud on the part of the purchaser has been found, be confirmed and patented upon presentation of satisfactory proof to the Land Department of such sale or incumbrance: Provided, That after the lapse of two years from the date of the issuance of the receipt of such officer as the Secretary of the Interior may designate upon the final entry of any tract of land under the homestead, timber-culture, desert-land, or preemption laws, or under this act, and when there shall be no pending contest or protest against the validity of such entry, the entryman shall be entitled to a patent conveying the land by him entered, and the same shall be issued to him; but this proviso shall not be construed to require the delay of two years from the date of said entry before the issuing of a patent therefor.

Suits by the United States to vacate and annul any patent shall only be brought within six years after the date of the issuance of such patents.

Whenever it shall appear to the Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, that an error was made prior to March 9, 1904, by the officers of any local land office in receiving any application, declaratory statement, entry, or final proof under the homestead or other land laws, and that there was no fraud practiced by the entryman, and that there are no prior adverse claimants to the land described in the entry, and that no other reason why the title should not vest in the entryman exists, except that said application, declaratory statement, entry, or proof was not made within the land district in which the lands applied for were situated, as provided by the Act of March 11, 1902, such entry or proof shall be confirmed.