Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-21

which is the highest price paid fol
such Land. Owing to the necessity Of
making these payments to the Indians
actual settlers are required to pay 81. 2;
per acre for the lands embraced in Ok
lahoma proper and the Cherokee outlet
The lands embraced in what is known
as the Public Land Strip are not subject
to any Indian claims and will be taker
without any payment, under the home
stead laws, as prOvidad in the bill. The
homestead law is not applied in its en-.
tirety to this bill. That law is necessar.
lily modified by the requirement of the
payment of $1.25 per acre for the Cher
okee outlet and the Oklahoma lands.
The bill also provides that there shall
be no Communication of entries; the settler
must be the head of family OF
twenty-one years of age and must reside
upon and cultivate the lands for the
space of three years, before a patent can
be issued. The settler cannot transfer
his title nor cucumber it in any way;
nor will any debts of his, contracted be-
fore issuing of the patent, be lien upon
such land if converted into a judgment.
The object is to open these lands for &C
tual bona fide settlers, each being en-
titled to 100 acres and no more. He
must take for himself and not for an
other. There is no opportunity offered
or permitted for speculation in these
lands. They are intended as homes for
the people, and every safeguard that the
law can provide is thrown around them
in order to secure for the actual settler
all his rights.
In order to prevent undue advantage
by prior and unlawful occupancy of
these lands, it is provided in the bill
| that any person who may go upon them
prior to-. the time fixed by the procla-
nation of the president for entering
upon them WIFI forfeit all right to make
entry of any land in the territory or lay
any claim thereto whatever. The object
of this provision is to secure perfect FAIR
ness to all sections of the country, and
to place all upon equal footing in acquir-
ing these lands.
1t is unnecessary for me to enter into
further and greater detail as to the pro-
visions of the pending bill. They are
doubtless familiar to you all, and will
become more so in case it should become
the law of the land. The object of this
meeting is to give expression to the sem
timents of the people of the southwest
in favor of its early passage. A measure
of this importance deserves and should
receive most careful consideration of the
representatives of the people in congress-
No rights of Indians can be violated, nor
can their future security be imperiled.
On the contrary, we propose to secure
law and order where anarchy now pre-
walls. We propose to protect the rights
of persons and property, which are now
repeatedly and flagrantly violated. We
propose to convert vast wilderness, now
the abode of lawless elements and ille-
gally occupied by cattle synGlcates, into
homes of peaceful, intelligent and indus
trious people.
The bill in its present shape does not
make any provision with regard to the
five civilized tribes l am inclined, how
ever, to think that it or some other bill
should do so. The judges who are APP
pointed to hold the courts in the terri
tory of Oklahoma ought to be authorized
to hold courts within the five civilized
tribes. The constitution and laws of the
United States should be put in force over
all the Indian Territory. There should
be no spot of soil within the jurisdiction
of the United States where perfect secu-
rity could not be given to person and
property and where public order could
not be maintained. The Indian Territory
is now the Botany Bay of America.
Criminals and escaped convicts find
refuge within it's borders. The laws
should be extended over the entire linn
its, and security to person and property
should be given in every part thereof.
This will not Cypress the red man but
protect him. The law is terror
only to evil-doers. Its benign
influence will protect the red man from
lawless elements, as well as the white
men who may go there to settle among
them.
1t is of the utmost importance that the
bill for the organization of the territory
of Oklahoma shall be passed at the en-
suing session of congress. The longer
the opening of these lands is delayed, the
greater will be the complications and
embarrassments which will confront US.
The tide of civilization has already been
stayed too long upon the borders of this
territory. The people are. impatient to
enter upon and possess the promised
land. The settlement of these lands is
question of time only and that time can
not be long delayed. The opposition to
such settlement is now confined to a
great cattle syndicate, having lease to
5000, 600 acres of land. The cattle syn
dicates insist upon using these lands for
cattle pastures; the people insist upon |
having them for homes. Public senti- |
ment will no longer tolerate the AFRO
gance of any portion of our citizens who |
demand large part of the public do
main for their private gain and TO the |
exclusion of the actual settlers. Civil |
zation will not be stopped at the COM
mand of individual greed. Private in
terests must give way to the public |
veal. If these cattle companies were
more patriotic and less selfish than they
are, they would withdraw their opposi-
ton to this measure and unite with the
other citizens of the United States in de-
the immediate opening of this
territory to settlement. But, whether
they surrender, or continue their oppo-
sition to the advance of civilization and
the time of their occupancy is
short and the cattle kings must go. The
time approaches and now is near when
these lands must be opened to the people.
There is an irrepressible conflict between
barbarism and civilization. The result
of that conflict is not a matter of doubt.
No portion of this continent can be held
in barbarism to the exclusion of civilized
men. In the organization of the terrific
~ the hopes and aspirations Of our faith
ers will be realized. Every portion of
our great domain will have been brought
within the protection of the constitution
and the laws.
In Oklahoma will be realized In its
fullest fruition the prophecy of Isaiah, ut
tered more than three thousand years
ago: The wilderness and the solitary