Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-17
EX-GOVERNOR CRAWFORD ON OK
IAHOMA.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. IL, 1888.
| To the Editor of the Daily Eagle.
The bill providing for the organization
of the territory of Oklahoma has been
considered and favorably reported to the
house of representatives by the commit
tee on territories.
This is one of the most important
measures now pending before congress.
1t provides for opening to settlement
twenty-four million seven hundred and
eighty thousand acres of land, the
greater part of which is rich and fertile
as the Kansas valley. The bill will prob
ably pass the house within ten days or
two weeks, and if so it will doubtless
pass the senate and become law during
the present session of congress.
Thus far but little opposition has been
developed. Every body except those per-
sonally interested in the cattle business
or lease money and their employees adj
mits the folly of allowing such vast
domain to be withheld from settlement
and given over to the exclusive use of
cattle syndicates, while millions of home
less people all over this country are
| struggling for existence and suffering
| for the necessaries Of life.
The bill as reported seems to be fair
and just in every particular. 1t provides
| for the protection of the Indians in all
their rights. legal and equitable. 1t
dedicates all the lands to actual home
stead settlement. except what may he
necessary for town site purposes, and the
| 10th and Both sections in each township,
which are reserved for the support of
public schools. 1t prohibits the voting
of bonds in aid of railroads or internal
Improvements and contains other provis-
ions such as would have been blessing,
had they been incorporated in the
organic laws of Kansas.
| 1t is claimed by some well meaning
people, ard by all the cattle syndicates,
and the few Indian chiefs and head men
who, individually receive and appropriate
the lease money to their own use. that
! if the territory of Oklahoma is organized
| and opened to settlement, it will iniure
| Kansas and other western states; that
the Indians would be despoiled of their
lands in violation of treaty stipulations;
that the territory is only fit for grazing
purposes, and does not amount to much
any how. Such claims, of course, are
without the slightest foundation in fact.
A great many people from Kansas will
doubtless secure homes in the new terri
| tory, but the assertion that the
state will suffer, or be injured in any
| way on account of the territory being
opened to settlement is simply absurd.
On the contrary it will be benefited Just
as the state of Missouri and Iowa were
advertised and settled up by reason of
the opening of Kansas and Nebraska to
settlement. Every valuable citizen of
Kansas emigrating to Oklahoma will
leave an equally good citizen in his place.
No man will abandon his home or claim
in Kansas and take chances in Okla
homa, without selling out to somebody
else. and thereby lettering his condition.
Within six months from the opening
of the territory every section therein will
be taken up and occupied by a settler,
and when the lands shall be so taken.
the tide of emigration toward Oklahoma
will have but fairly commenced. The
result will necessarily be retrograde
movement, rolling back of the tide I'M
til Kansas, Arkansas and Nebraska are
filled up to OVERLOOKING, when the tide
will again take its course westward, I'M
til the country to the Rio Grande and be-
yOnd is occupied by an enterprising pros
porous people. That such will be the re-
suit is as certain as the light of day
Keeping pace with the tide of emigra-
ton that will be set in motion,
toward the new southwest, by reason
of the opening of Oklahoma, will be the
same climatic changes that went hand in
hand with the settlement and develop
ment of Kansas, Nebraska and Dakota.
With the same regularity and absolute
certainty will the rain fall, and settle
ments of the country go hand in hand
from Kansas and Oklahoma across the
Pan Handle of Texas and around the
mountains, through New Mexico toward
the Pacific. 1t requires no scientific in
vestigation to demonstrate this PROPOSE
ton. When the plains were covered
with immense herds of buffalo and the
earth tramped to a hard crust and
burned and parched with the heat from
the sun and prairie fires, the whole sur
face was almost as impervious to rain as
roof of shingles.
The rain fall flowed rapidly off into
the ravines and rivers, while very
small proportion penetrated the hard
crust that covered the great plains
When that crust, however, is broken
and plowed up, almost every drop of
rain that falls is absorbed and retained
in the ground until thrown off by evap-
Grafton. / believe it is estimated that an
acre of prairie grass throws off about
fifty barrels of moisture every twenty
four hours, while an acre of growing
corn throws off six hundred barrels. and
IF
thousand barrels in the same period of
time. The sooner, therefore, that the
plains to the south and west of Kansas
wheat, forest and fruit trees the sooner
will the drouth and hot winds. which
originate in and come from that arid
country, cease to trouble the people of
Kansas
The first thing of importance neces-
sary to be done, it seems to me, is to tear
down the "Chinese WALL that surrounds
the Indian Territory and let people in,
who will pillow up the ground and plant
orchards. forest trees and fields of corn,
wheat and oats, and thereby erect
barrier between Kansas and the hot
winds. which make their appearance
through that country.
Again. should the territory be opened
the farmers of Kansas will have ready
market at their doors for all surplus
products until the country produces an
amount sufficient to supply itself. So,
too, would the manufacturing establish
ments and the wholesale jobbing houses
in Kansas and the west supply the terri
tory with machinery, farming nipple |
ments, and goods, such as would be re-
T.. 4 Il II
argument is all on the side of opening
tho farr;torx Of tho earliest y,oecibla data