Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-04-17
WILL THEY GIVE UPf

Secretary Lamar's reply to Couch
touching the position of the admins
tration on the Oklahoma question, is
plain and uuequivocl aand ought to
satisfy Couch and his misguided adhe-
rents who arc still camped a. Arkan-
sas City, that further booming will
not only fail of its purpose, but ill.,
volye the leaders, at least, IN legal
trouble out of which they may not
come as easily as was their wont dur
ing the hated Republican rule. The
reply of the Secretary of the Interior
cannot fail to strip Couch and his lieu
tenants of every preteXt for holding
their followers together. Couch, Clark,
Weaver. the Kansas City Times and
Chicago Tribune to the contrary not
wilhsIanding. the EAGLE has all along
maintained that the new admiDistra-
ton would take the same view of the
status of The Oklahoma country that
the two preceding administrations
had. Secretary Lamar's reply to
Couch establishes the soundness OF our
position. The secretary gives Cauch
TO understand plainly, that the admin
.siration regards Oklahoma as Indian
lands and moi part of the public do
main. and therefore not subject 10
settlement. That any persons entering
Oh those lands would be regarded as
intruiers and would be elected. Ever
since the Inauguration OF Mr.. Clevc-
land. Couch has fed his followers on
assurances that all would go well.
Through the seductive kilograms of
Sid Clark. at Washington, the rank
and file Of tia boomers we're led to be-
leye that everything was going love-
", and by this means not only the fret
batch we're held together, but fresh
recruits joined the ranks daily. A
vast sum of money was drawn from
membership fees, but not one men,
Der from those who first Joined
PAYNE down TO the last who
Joined Couch, has any better
title to foot of land in Oklahoma
than has the ameer of Afghanistan.
Many of the poor deluded recruits
have lost their all, and not only Couch,
Clark and the other leaders, but such
papers as the Kansas City Times and
the Chicago Tribune are 10 blame for
their misfortune. The journals named
kept staff correspondents at Arkansas
CITY who lionized the boomer chief.
painted the country in the tint of the
rose, sent gilt specials TO their papers
almost daily, assuring their readers
that the colonists were continually re-
ceiving assurances from Washington
that the question would be settled in
their favor. Now all is over. The
fact that the cattlemen are to be ex-
PEELED from Oklahoma is poor salts
faction for those who desired to secure
a home. 1t makes not a whit of differ
ence to those who are denied the priv
ilege of settling on the Oklahoma
lands, whether one, or one million.
head of cattle are fed on Oklahoma
grass. Now it is time that the loud
proteststions against the corrupt Re-
publican administration, the infamous
ring speculation and all that sort of
bosh should cease.
The question now is, will the
boomer leaders give it up? Couch has,
time and again asserted that even
should Cleveland decide against him
be would not give up. That he
would suspend operations until next
fall, when he would renew the agita-
ton. Whatever COUGHS intentions
may be in the premises, il is hardly
probable that he can again muster any
considerable force 10 make another ill.,
vasion. The Oklahoma country and
the Cherokee strip rs well, will be
opened for settlement in due time by
an act of congress, and then, and not
until then, will it be peopled.