Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-20
VISITING STATESMEN.
Looking Over Oklahoma and the Bean
tiful Indian .TerritOrye
With View to Giving Territorial Govern
ment to the One and Opening Up
the Other to Settlement.
The congressional party arrived in the

The congressional party arrived in the
city yesterday morning as per announce
ment, and were met by a number OF
representative Fort Worth men, who
took them in charge for the purpose of
entertaining them while they remained
within the city's gates. The entertain
ing committee consisted of Col. J. P.
Smith, Gen. r. A. Cameron, w. L.
Malone, T. B. Burnbridge and others
who put the visiting statesmen in hacks
and drove them about the principal points
of interest in the city.
No attempt was made at formal enter
tainment. and the gentlemen only sought
to aid the visitors IN seeing the most of
Fort Worth in the shortest possible space
of time.
During the drive and in mingling with
the visitors THE GAZETTE representative
was enabled to gather an idea of where
they have been, where going and the
grand object Of their visit.
The party consisted of Hon. w. NJ.
Springer OF Illinois, Hon. G. H. Mansur
OF Missouri, Hon. B. W. Perkins of
Kansas, Hon. John NJ. Allen of Mississ-
ippi, Hon. S. R. Peters of Kansas, Col.
John O'DaY, vice president of the Frisco
road, j. w. Piercy of the Kansas City
Times, c. G. Carlton of the Globe
Democrat and Private Secretary Ban
mister. These gentlemen are not sent
out by congress as committee to
examine or report on any matter. They
are travelling upon their own motion, to
learn certain matters connected with
their duty as representatives of the peo-
pie.
AS is well known, Hon. W. NJ.
Springer has been a consistent and I'M
wearying advocate of the policy of open
ing the Indian Territory up to settlement.
He is one Of the men through whose in
strumentality Oklahoma was opened up,
and probably no man in the country did
more to bring about that result. When
that country was open, however, he did
not lose interest in it, and now he and
his colleagues have been on a tour of in
vestigatlon through Oklahoma, to see
what the people of that new country
need or desire in the way OF a govern
ment.
They came through Oklahoma on the
Santa Fe, stopping at Guthrie and Okla
homa City, there meeting the citizens
and discussing with them the advisability
of forming for that territory territorial
government. The gentlemen were mucn
pleased with Oklahoma, describing it as
a beautiful country, and Guthrie and
Oklahoma City as marvels of enterprise
and progress. They say the question of
territorial government will come before
congress at the approaching session, and
express a confidence that bill forming
such government will speedily become
a law.
After pleasant drive about the city
the party were taken to the Union depot,
where their train pulled out at 80 for
Paris. From that place they will go to
Fort Smith, and from there will make a
VISIT to Vinita and Muscogee and other
points in the Indian Territory. They
viii examine the Territory thoroughly,
with q view of coming to some conclu-
sion in regard to the best plan of dis
posing of that country.
The general conclusion formed so far
is that the Indians have no desire TO
work, and that they do no: want 10 sell
their land. They are willing to have it
divided and TO hold it in severaltY, which
means about eleven Thousand acres to
each family Of i've.
The Indian Territory question wiz also