The Osceola times., 1885-01-17
OKLAHOMA.

Congress and the President Beoom,,.
pressed With the Necessity for so,,,.
clsive Action In Relation to This r..~,."
"A Reflection Upon the Leader n, V ~
"Boomers." we
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Januarv
Something has got TO be done .hs..
Oklahoma, and there are evidences ,h..
Congress is being impressed with A.
necessity for definite and decided os
preston. As Senator Plumb said ~
other day in presenting memor,.,
from the colonists, decisive No,
icy must be announced and an
forced. Either the lands must h.
thrown open or there must be such
declaration from the Government tb,,
people will stop going in and settlin,
On Wednesday party of Congressmer
among whom were Senators Yes,
Dawes, Ingalls, and Plemb, called uDon
the President in relation to this matter
When the subject was broached, Presl.
dent Arthur saM he was advised BY tbs
Department Of Justice that any invasion
of the Territory of Oklahoma was an in.
fraction of law. lie therefore issued !,
proclamation forbidding persons to cnte,
that Territory for settlement. But men
set that proclamation at naught, and dc.
fed the authorities of the Government
When expelled, they at once prepared
for another invasion. They began 70
drill, provided themselves with arms, and
so on. To keep them out was not onlys
matter of the enforcement of Government
al authority, but the President was salts
fed that, aside from any such considen.
ton, it was right and proper that settlers
should not be permitted TO enter the Ter.
rltory. The laws relating to the Govern.
ment of the Indian Territory term 1t the
"Iudiau country" This term has been
used in the legal phraseoloy
SO long that it has conc to be applied
generally to Indian reservations. The
law authorizes the Executive power 70
keep intruders out of the Indian country
and TO employ the military force u the
/ Government In so doing, If necessary.
| The President called attention 10 the fact
that Oklahoma is included in the deslg.
nation of "lndian country" and
is but small tract, compara.
lively, comprising few hun
dred thousand acres, aud surrounded
on every side by Indian reservations. lie
said that If that tract Is to be opened TO
settlement the way must be prepared by
the enactment Of laws for that purpose.
As the case stands there is no civil law
prevailing in Oklahoma, and the President
holds that should that land be settled by
whites under existing circumstances, col.
lislons between the whites and the
peighboring Indians would be al.
most certain. II the land is "a
| be thrown open, he advises
that n definite plan be enacted into law
and that such law shall define how set
tiers shall enter, etc, and thus prevent
trouble between settlers and Indians
also, that land office be established
there. Until Congress takes some actor
opening oklahoma to settlement, an(
prescribing how il shall be done, th'
President holds IL to be the duty OF tn
Executive to keep settlers out OF tina
Territory.
MAKING THE GROOMING" BUSINESS PAY
1t is stated here by persons who have
Ia the discharge Of official duty, made In
quiry into the raids Of the boomers int
Oklahoma, that the leaders in the move
ment made the business quite profitable
Each prospective settler is required :
pay a sort of initiation fec, amountln
10 81 or So. This fee mus
be paid at the start, so that In case tn
recruit gets wearied in his effort to sccur
land and backs out the treasury OF tn
boomers does not safer IL is elaine
by some of those who have had to aid i
breaking up these raids that the leader
really do not want the Territory opene'
to settlement, as that will put an end L
their source of revenue.
The feeling among Congressman
strongly in favor of lcgislating SO as 4
throw the lands open to settlement, bu
the apprehension as to what will be tn
effects of settling with white people
tract right in the heart of the India
country causes hesitation about tak!n
fhis roursp