Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-03

on all sides by lands in the occupancy Of Indian
| tribes. Congress had provided no civil gov
| eminent for the people who were to be invited
by my proclamation to settle upon these lands,
| except as the new court. which had been estab-
| lished at Muscogee, or the United States courts
in some of the adjoining States, had power to
enforce the general laws of the United States.
In this condition OF things / was quite reluc-
| tant to open the lands to settlement. But in
| view of the fact that several thousand persons,
many Of them with their families. had gathered
| upon the borders Of the Indian Territory, with
| q view to securing homesteads on the ceded
lands, and that delay would involve them in
much loss and suffering, did, on the Esd day
of March last issue proclamation declaring
that the lands therein described would be open
to settlement under the provisions Of the law
on the 22d day Of April following, at IL O'Clock
| noon. Two land districts had been established
and the offices were open for the transaction Of
business when the appointed time arrived.
| THE SETTLERS IN OKLAHOMA.
1t is much to the credit of the settlers that
they very generally observed the limitation -
to the time when they might enter the Terri
tory Care will be taken that those who en-
| tered in violation of the law do not secure the
advantage they unfairly sought. There was a
| good deal OF apprehension that the strife for
| locations would result in much violence and
bloodshed, but happily these anticipations
were not realized. 1t is estimated that there
are now in the Territory about sixty thousand
people; and several considerable towns have
sprung up, for which temporary municipal
| governments have been organized. Guthrie is
SAID to have now population Of almost eight
thousand. Eleven schools and nine churches
| have been established, and three daily and five
weekly newspapers are published in this city,
whose charter and ordinances have only the
sanction OF the voluntary acquiescence of the
| people from day to day.
Oklahoma City has population of about five
thousand, and is proportionately as we'll pro-
vided as Guthrie with churches. schools, and
newspapers. Other towns and villages having
populations OF from one hundred to thousand
are scattered over the Territory.
In order to secure the peace of this new
community, in the absence Of civil government
l directed General Merritt, commanding the
Department Of the Missouri, to act in conjunc-
ton with the marshals of the United States to
preserve the peace, and upon their requisition
| to use the troops to aid them in executing war
rants and In quieting any riots or breaches of
the peace that might occur. He was further
directed to use his influence to promote good
order and to avoid any conflicts between or
with the settlers. Believing that the introduce
ton and sale of liquors. where no legal re-
stralnts or regulations existed, would endanger
the public peace, and in view of the fact that
such liquors must first be introduced into the
indian reservations before reaching the white
settlements, further directed the general COM
manding to enforce the laws relating to the in
PRODUCTION OF ardent spirits into the Indian
country.
The presence of the troops has given sense
OF security to the well-disposed citizens, and
has tended to restrain the lawless In one
instance the officer in immediate command of
the troops went further than l deemed justifi-
able In supporting the de fdcto municipal gov
eminent of Guthrie, and he was informed and
directed to limit the interference of the mill
tary to the support of the marshas on the lines
indicated In the original order. / very urgently
recommend that Congress at once provide a
territorial government for these people.
Serious questions, which may at any time lead
to violent outbreaks, are awaiting the insttu-
ton OF courts for their peaceful adjustment.
Inc American genius for self-government has
been well illustrated in Oklahoma, but it is
neither safe nor wise to leave these people
longer to the expedients which have tenn
porarily served them.
ALASKA.
Provision should be made for the acquisition
OF title to town lots in the towns now estab-
lished in Alaska, for locating town sites and for
the establishment of municipal governments.
Only the mining laws have been extended to
that Territory, and no other form of title to
iands can now be obtained. The general land
laws were framed with reference to the dispo-
sition OF agricultural lands, and it is doubtful
II their operation in Alaska would be bene-
fetal
We have fortunately not extended to Alaska
lions for the Indian tribes, and can deal with
them from the beginning as individuals with L
am sure, better results But any disposition
OF the public lands and any regulations relating
10 TIMBER and TO the fisheries should have a
kindly regard to their interests. Having no
power to levy taxes, the people of Alaska are
wholly dependent upon the General Govern
ment, to whose revenues the seal fisheries make
a large annual contribution. An appropriation
for education should neither be overlooked nor
stinted.
The smallness of the population and the
great distances between the settlements offer
serious obstacles to the establishment of the
Usual Territorial form of government Per-
maps the organization OF several subdistricts,
with small municipal council Of limited
powers for each, would be safe and useful
Attention is called in this connection to the
suggestions of the Secretary of the Treasury
relating to the establishment of another port
OF entry in Alaska, and of other needed Gus
toms facilities and regulations
THE LAND LAWS.
In the administration of the land laws the
policy OF facilitating, in every proper way, the
adjustment of the honest claims of individual
settlers upon the public lands has been pur-
sued; the number of pending cases had. dur
ing the preceding administration. been greatly
increased under the operation of orders for a
time suspending final action in large part of
the cases originating i'll the West and North
west, and by the subsequent use of unusual
methods OF examination. Only those who are
familiar with the conditions under which our
agricultural lands have been settled can appre-
clate the serious and often fatal consequences
to the settler of a policy that puts his title
under suspicion, or delays the issuance of his
patent. While care is taken to prevent and to
expose fraud, it should not be imputed without
reason
The manifest purpose of the homestead and
presumption laws was to promote the settle
ment OF the public domain by persons having
bona-fde intent to make a home upon the
selected lands. Where this intent is well es-
tablished and the requirements of the law have
been substantially complied with. the claimant
Is entitled to a prompt and friendly considera-
ton of his case. But where there is reason to
believe that the claimant is the mere agent of
another. who is seeking to evade a law in
tended to promote small holdings. and to Sc
cure by fraudulent methods large tracts of
timber and other lands, both principal and
agent should not only be thwarted in their
fraudulent purpose. but should be made to feel
the full penalties of our criminal statutes. The
laws should be SO administered as not to con-
found these two classes, and to visit penalties
only upon the latter.
The unsettled state of the titles to large
bodies of lands in the Territories of New Mex
leo and Arizona has greatly retarded the de-
velopment of those Territories Provision
should be made by law for the prompt trial and
final adjustment, before a judicial tribunal or
commission, of all claims based upon Mexican
grants. 1t is not just TO an intelligent people
that their peace should be disturbed and their
prosperity retarded by these old content.ons
I exDress the hone that diffarancaa of on;o;o,