Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-10-08
"NO Mans Land"


has rarely been touched upon by
ports of the existing difficulties over
the cattle leases but little reference
has been made to section Of the
country which promises in short
time to become a center of great in
terest. The map shows a neck of
country running due west from the
generally accepted boundary of In
dian Territory GOO degrees longitude
to the eastern borders of New Mexico,
about 103 degrees west. Kansas and
Colorado Bound it on the north and
the great panhandle of Texas serves
for its southern boundary. Here are
enclosed about three million, five hun-
dred acres of land, and the whole area
has long been designated in an inEn-
ate way as a neutral strip-"A No
Mans land" This is section Of
country devoid absolutely of the SEM
blance Of a political organization,
with no courts, no law, no recognized
status whatever. Here roam at will
all classes Of people-Indians, white
men and Mexicans-untram meled by
any admitted authority. The country
has been the scene of many dark and
bloody tragedies which will never be
unearthned, because of the isolation
of the region. No railroad approach
es within 40 Or so miles of any of its
boundary line, and only a few cattle
trails and stage roads cross it.
There appears to be three claimants
to the Territory. First-The United
| States government, whose claim is
based upon the assumption that it is
duly acquired territory which has
never been patented or ceded. Second
The Cherokee nation, whose claim
is based upon various treaties, wherein
the United States guarantees the Che
rokees d free and unrestricted outlet
west from their ceded territory as far
as the United States domain extends.
This they interpret to mean the New
Mexico boundary line and they as
sumo that mo Mans" strip is simply
an extension of the territory which
the United States intended grantin g
them. Third-The State of Texas, ia
vague sort of way, claims jurisdic,
ton over the territory, assuming it to
be part of her original territory that
United States, and, therefore, if coded
by the government to the Cherokee,
the G overnment was acting without
authority in the premises. There is
just enough Indebtedness and coufict
in the expressions used in the various
deeds of conveyances, treaties, etc.
to leave the question an open one,
with each claimant apparently in pos
session of a good case. It would res
quire skillful diplomat to untangle
the different legal skiens and define
the true title. In the meantime, none
of these three claimants have any
possession or recognised jurisdiction
over the country whatever, and a
fourth set, the cattle men. hold it by
right of occupancy. They claim
allegiance to no interest other than
their own, refuse to recognize any
constituted rights in the premises and
say to the trio of claimants: go
ahead; fight it out; let it be merry,
merry war, with a plentitude of laws
delays; the longer the contest con-
tinues the better for us; we are here
and here we Will stay until some adj
mitted power thrusts us off,"
have been at pains to learn the
prevailing sentiment toward the cattle
leases, and I do not hesitate to say
that the Cherokees are almost as a
unit in favor of the leasing of the
Cherokees strip to the cattlemen, thus
realizing 100000 year from land
which heretofore had produced them
little or hing.-Clarence P. Dres
ser, in Western Rural.