Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-24
The Genesis Of a New state.

pectatlOn, the great rush WIS hauo WIN
out collision and without bloodshed, as
far as heard from at the present writing
A few Of the first honest boomers, who
corscientiously waited till the time was
up, seem to have secured claims. But
as near as we can now make out, great
deal of shenanigan was prlcticed, and
lawless men crossed the Strip and
we're on the forbidden ground IN
advance of those who honestly
waited for the appointed time. The
townsite business was manifestly fraud
The people who got into Guthrie at III
teen minutes past noon found the lots
nearly all occupied with tents. 1t is evl-
dent that fraud was practiced, for under
honest conditions the best part OF three
hundred and twenty acres OF town lots
could not have been occupied in fifteen
minutes. Enough people were without
doubt upon the ground before noon to
grab the cream of the embryo town. This
may be accounted for in several ways.
Troops of spectators, with gold-headed
canes" as the dispatches announced,
secured appointments as Deputy United
States Marshals, and went there as OH
cials, but in reality their object was to
steal march on the honest boomers
Then it is believed that the
railway companies and their en-
ployes took advantage of their right to
be there to gobble up lots before the
legal time had expired. Thus the honest
seekers after homes and town lots were
swindled out of their chances by unfair
means. The Presidents proclamation
opening the Territory was particular to
declare that any one who surreptitiously
entered Oklahoma before the hour OF
noon on the 22d, would forfeit his right to
theland. 1t is needless to cay that men
}, who were there by official license had no
right to take advantage OF it to
take up lands. The Courts will
!, be very apt to vacate all entries
made by these parties. The indig-
nation of the honest settlers, who have
been swindled out of their chances to
{ sec ure homes, will be very apt to give
these entries the benefit of very live
ly contest. OF course, every man who
got into Oklahoma, in advance, under
false pretenses, stole the land he claims
and the class of people who honestly
went there to get homes, and found
themselves forestalled by the land
sharks, will not rest quietly under &c
, barefaced hwindle.
1t would be disgrace to the American
Government if wholesale fraud is to
, triumph in the settling up OF a new
State. If the reports are to be credited
it will be the duty of the Government tc
, proceed at once to strip those fraudulent
boomers of their claimed rights. Moth
, ing but heroic measures will serve te
teach these conscienceless scoundrelf
} that they cannot get away with property
) thus impudently stolen.
The rush of yesterday is the frat ster
in the creation of new State. The
| Government will be compelled to opeI
8 the other Indian lands it has purchased
| to the hundreds of thousands of Ameri
cans who want homes in that new Terri
tory. The impetus that has been given
J to homeseekers by the Oklahoma boom,
will be followed up by rush all along
, the line to the territory still avail
able for settlement. In few
months there will be enough
people there to organize the new State of
/ Oklahoma, and next winter we shall
{ perhaps hear of that Territory knocking
at the door of Congress for admission
into the Union. Let it not bs said that
this last remnant of our imperial public
domain has gone into the hands of fraud
ulent grabbers, as the great bulk Of the
nations patrimony went into the hands
, of grasping corporations, through the fla
grant corruption of our lawmakers.
Since the above was placed in type