Wichita eagle., 1889-05-18
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STRIP.

Speclal press OlSpatcneS from Oklanoms
that there are fifty thousand homes
farmers seeking homes on the GROUND
and only ten thousand quarter sections
for them; that these coveted lands are!tht
finest farming lands the sun ever shont
upon: that the most attractive natura
parks of vast extent are found there
waiting only to be occupied, and finally
as we read in Wednesday morning.
| EAGLE the country is covered with &
dense mat of blue grass and that there
statements gravely made by telegraph
for the information of the public we
do not care to contradict or correct
them. The world pays millions
daily for important information, which
is no better than this, and still we are
eager for more.
| do not suppose the fellow who made
the statement that the country was COW
cred with blue grass knew the import
ance Of the statement, if true, or that he
knew the difference between blue grass
and blue stem. The latter grows in
great abundance all over that country,
but it is not favorite with cattle men.
As for blue grass poa pretensis, not a
blade has ever been found south of
Kansas and west Of Missouri. And even
in rainy Kansas it is not only. not indig-
enous but can only be raised by adding
nine parts of water, applied by mechan-
ical means, to the one part of natural
rainfall, for patcn for ''our front door
yard.
But we don't care to correct this any
more than the statement that there are
$4,000 people in Oklahoma waiting for
claims and only 10000 provided for
them, the balance being held by the
grasping cattle barons, when the land
Office report shows that so far but 1900
claims have been entered-Iess than a
fifth of the number offered. Of all who
have gone down there but small num-
Der deserve our sympathy, and that is the
honest but ignorant farmer seeking for
home. The town site speculator, the
politician, the demagogue and his dupe,
and the three card monte capitalist must
take care of each other. For all these
people and all their reports we care
nothing. The EAGLE publishes the re-
ports as news" as do all other great
dailies, and we are not complaining.
But when a newspaper speaks editori-
ally it is quite a different thing, and of
this we are going to complain. We I'M
derstand there is an individual response
bility and reliability about an editorial,
an individual carefulnesS and eXactness
as to both matters of fact and matters of
opinion, as if the editor was giving per
sonal uJterance to them.
In many years reading the
EAGLE the writer has found
its editorials carefully truthful and COM
mendably free from personal abuse or
loose statement. We are sorry to notice
in its Wednesday morning issue that the
zeal of that paper to open the Indian
country to settlement has driven it lit
tie over the line of propriety in a short
editorial entitled can Indians Gall" 1t
is with certain statements in that article
that we have to do, and l am sure that
the editor will be glad to be corrected in
matter of fact statements. We read:
This man Mays, while chief of the
Cherokee nation, is member of the
cattle syndicate and he plays his posi-
ton in the interest of his fellow cattle |
owners" A short history of the leasing
of the strip to the cattle men will be the
surest way to correct Measurements and
inform the public of the real facts
For some years prior to 1882 cattle had |
been grazed on the Cherokee outlet, |
called "the strip" the owners
of the herds paying yearly by the head
for the privilege. In 1882 negotiations !
We're begun to lease by the acre for a Pc
Rod of years all the Cherokee lands in /
strip west of the 96th parallel. The dis
trict contained 100000 and the propo- |
sition was to pay $4,000 annually for
ten years. In the meantime the cat |
tie men organized a company called the
Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association"
which was composed entirely of |
and limited TO such persons as
We're already holding grazing leases as
before described. The members of this /
association had no interest in common |
beyond securing the lease. The lease |
was made for six million acres to one /
person III trust for all the members and /
then the trustee issued sub-leases, the |
rule being that each should have the /
same location and number of acres which /
he had held under the old arrangement |
to Craze by the head. The number of |
persons, directly and indirectly, partici- |
pating equally in the benefits of this /
lease was over four hundred, and many !
Of them poor men having but a small !
number Of cattle. This fact is stated |
to contradict the anarchist |
cry of great monopoly, rich cattle
etc.
1t is proper also to state that |
n place of getting the lease for
4 period of ten years and for |
$50, 600 annual rent the lease was made |
for five years and for 100000 annual |
'ent and nearly a year was consumed IN
the arrangement. The /
ease was authorized by an act OF the |
Cherokee council, which your readers
ire informed is legislative body COM
posed of an upper and lower house, cor
to our senate and house of !
representatives. The. lease was approved
~ d. W. Bushy head, the principal chief,
who was the executive with the veto pre-
'ogative and corresponds to our pres
dent. In fact, the Cherokee govern
nent-executive, legislative and ju-
licial - Is copied very nearly
after that of the United States
md if any man supposes
le can over reach these people in a trade
II buy them up with money, or as we
ay do EN- up in any way he reckons
without his host.
Chief Bushyhead's term of office ex-
bred two years ago, and in the conven-
ion he failed of a denomination. The !
nominee of his party was also defeated
II the election and Judge j. B. Mayes
vas elected
The cattle men regretted this change
n the administration. as Chief Maves.
ormerly Judge Mayes, had declared and
lad used the charge in the campaign
hat the lands were leased too low, and
when the lease expired more rent would
e required The five wears lease eS-