Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-02-06
OKLAHOMA.
What Man Who Has Been There
Saws.

Mr.. C. b. Young who had just ar
rived from Oklahoma yesterday made
the EAGLE call. He prefaced the in
formation given below by the remark
that he had understood that the EAGLE
had been showing up the Oklahoma
boom in its true light and also that it
had been warning people not to go
there for the purpose Of settlement
until the peoples au horities at WASH
ington had legally opened the way.
Mr.. Young originally joined Payne's
colony paving 50 for a certificate
numbered l0,245, which number
showed him conclusively that some
body was getting some money out of
the scheme. He afterwards helped TO
organize en- independent Oklahoma
colony numbering thirty-six members
with headquarters at st. Joe, Reno
county, Kansas. of which colony he
was made secretary. In the interest
of this colony he had gone down to
the Oklahoma lands, independent of
the boomers, for the sole purpose of a
careful survey of the country, its eli
mate, soil, water, timber aud so forth.
lie had just finished the work having
Travelled all over it from Bull Foot
rancho, up and down the Cimarron,
circling around by Payne's old town
site, down the Cottonwood, along
Deer creek and the tributaries by the
Red and many other localities which
we do not now remember, vending
mp at the Otoe agency. Speaking
from the standpoint and knowledge of
Kansas farmer he says the Oklaho-
ma country as an agricultural country
is an unmitigated humbug. While he
found lands on the Cherokee strip
and between Salt Fork and the Kan
sas line that were passable, within the
bounds of Oklahoma proper not TO ex-
coed two per cent, or two sections in
every hundred, can be called average
farming land. He examined carefully
the sort of grasses, growths of timber,
water and everything, aud says that
Pratt, Barber, Comanche. Mead and
Clark counties, of this state, all sur
pass Oklahoma as agricultural coun-
tries. and that the Oklahoma lands
hold no comparison TO this valley. For
cattle grazing, Mr.. Young says that
the Oklahoma will rank as only fair TO
good. He had kept away from the
boomers camp, refusing even TO carry
them letters. so that he might make an
intelligent aud unbiased survey and
repor; 10 the members of the colony
in whose interest he made the trip.
He comes back thoroughly convinced
that speculative scheming is at the
bottom of all the moves made by the
boomers. He found many along the
border who had been misled by the
leaders of these boomer raids. some of
whom were nearly destitute and all
disappointed in their efforts to make a
settlement in country which has
nothing TO offer them but hardships
even should they be permitted to make
settlements unmolested. Mr. Young
says il is shame and ,au outrage that
these spectators and adventures
should be allowed 10 thus mls.ead in
nocent aud confiding people, and that
SO far as these leaders are concerned
and the men who are backing them,
that il would be more honorable for
them to put their hands in the pockets
of their deluded victims and rob them
outright than TO toll them away of
down there 10 that desolate district 10
squander their hard earnings and be-
come helpless only that few specula-
tors might profit thereby. To this
end ne asked us TO warn all honest
people 10 keep out of Oklahoma, Mt
least not TO take their wives and chill |
dren until they had gone down and
convinced themselves