Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-09
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PUBLIC LAND STRlP-
Oklahoma Territory.
BEAVER CITY. March ). 1888.

The machine pOHtlclaiio VI eho sup
continue as busy as ever, debating pup
lie sentiment and going through the mo-
tons of organizing government. 1her
zeal is only 10 be accounted for on the
hypothesis that 1t is advantage, position,
prestige, power, they are after, more
than government and law. They don
want any government except such as
they can control, approprlatinS the
honors and spoils to themselves. 1hey
are for the most part spectators; having
all sorts OF schemes in mind for building
and specializing IN town sites and town
property. They pride themselves ON rum
ming the politics of the country, ana
boast of being the only public benefac-
tors The counties are LAID out large or
small, by these managers, with view OF
securing some favorite town Tor county
seat. BY the way, several counties I'M
der quasi organization have some good
features. Taking four townships WIDE,
as the standard. the strip would make
seven counties twenty-four by thlrty-1ouf
miles: very convenient sized county,
when the country becomes settled up.
The heavy expense of keeping up SO
many county organizations, While the
country is new, would DE compen-
stated in the end by escaping
future wrangles and expense over county
divisions, county lines and county seat
fights. This previous movement. by the
would be political leaders. has the further
advantage of being government OF the
| people by the people. and the encourag-
ing feature is that where the people nave
come forward and taken the matter IN
their own hands. they have got away
with the baggage of the schemers. The
people have only to assert tnen man
hood, act upon their own honest convlc-
tons and concert to down the generation
of designing and INSCRIPTIONS politicians
who have always infested every new
country.
The election of county officers
| for this county, Beaver, resulted in the
| choice of some very good men. Inc
county commissioners elect, with the
county clerk, showed their good senSe
and character by perfecting the organi-
| cation of a county board within them
selves, ignoring the authority of the de-
funct territorial council of Cimarron ter
ritory. They had their authority from
| the people to organize county board,
| laws directs otherwise. They adopted
the statutes of Nebraska and went to
work. This is good enough, and Is the
nearest government of anything we nave
ever had in the strip.
| The people still suffer serious en-
| barrassment, and the suspense which
has in some cases dragged for two years.
is becoming painful from the delay OF
| congress to give relief by appropriate
! legislation. The settlers have exhausted
their supplies, the crop last
| year did not amount to much,
no public or private Improvements gong
on, but little immigration coming into
the country, and capital is too cautious
| to venture, SO that every thing Is at a
! stand still. Under such diScouraglng
! circumstances it will be difficult for the
! farmers to put in a crop. though the sea-
| son promises to be a good one, and ex-
tensive preparations have already been
! made.
If anything is done to give immediate
relief to the settlers and promote the best
| interests of this public land strip. con-
| gress will have to take the responsibility
and act regard less of any expression of
sentiment here; first, from the fact that
! the people are divided; and, secondly,
| because it is next to impossible to get a
fair expression of what the people want.
The only newspaper we have IN the strip
is wholly devoted to party which de-
mand territorial government or moth
ing 1t is completely under censor
ship and no other views except the ring
masters ever find expression through its
columns; and the bluff game of this sub
sidized organ is to belle and misrepresent
every body who dares to think or act
contrary 10 its dictation. As an example
of the blind prejudice of the Advocate
man: A half dozen citizens, with corners
and goers from different parts of the
strip, met in q public Office on the prin-
Cipal street of Beaver, with open doors,
to talk over the situation and see if they
could set on foot anything that would
induce congress to act, so as to give I'M
mediate relief to the settlers on the pub
lie land strip during the tendency
of the Springer bill, or in case
it should fail TO become a
law at this session of congress.
The Advocate branded the conference
as a secret meeting. and wholly obhvious
to Its glarng inconsistency, went on In
libelous article to tell what the secret
meeting with closed doors did: missing
the facts altogether, as everyone of the
dozen men present during the conference
well know: and as if lying. slandering
| and instrumentation were the specific
| business OF this arrogant sheet. its col
umns of last week have still another
| version of the said secret convention.
Mr.. Editor. IL you have the time. and
any desire to crafty Your curiosity TO
see how far newspaper will misrepre-
sent to deceive the people and arouse
their pre- iudICcs. Just take the Voorhees,
bill as it passed the United States
senate and compare it with
the Misrepresentation Of that bill
as given in the columns Of the Advocate
I Beaver City, Of the 18th uit. If the Ad-
vocate man wanted the people Of the
4 Strip to know what the VOORHEES, bill
was why did he not publish it, instead
of devoting 4 whole issue of his paper IN
/ the misrepresentation OF the bill. The
| people can read and are capable of think
! ing for themselves None of u down
! here are stuck on the voorhees, bill. II
| 1t were 50 amended a. to make the pub
/ lie land strip land district of itself, it
would be vel enough-in the event we
/ don't get the new territory this session
/ Of congress: and it need not necessarily
! impede that movement. or even conflict
with it. What we are suffering every
/ day for want Of is Law To go on with our
/ entries. to protect person and property.
! This would put the people upon their
/ feet and secure the immediate settle
ment and prosperity OF the country, and
the question as TO where We go X OF
minor Importance TO this.
We are in the midst OF quite cold