The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-13
THELIE OF THE LAND.
Commissioner Stockslager on
HOmesteads IN Oklahoma.
MINNEAPOLIS STREET CAR STRIKE
The Men Run Things-The Police Interfere
Men Numerically Clubbed-HOw
Lowery Came Out.

WASHINGTON, April II. - The com
missioner of the general land Of
flee made public to-day several letters as
being of general interest to persons con-
templating settlement in Oklahoma.
Commissioner Stockslager, in replying to
letter from o. NJ. Wilson, at Arkansas
city, says, in part; ''I.have to state that the
lands in question are to be disposed of to
actual settlers under the homestead laws
only. A party desiring to become an actual
settler underline homestead lawsmay initiate
his claim by entry at the dis
trict land Office after properly
examining and selecting the land described,
in which case he is allowed six months
from the date of entry within which to es
tablish his actual residence on the land; or,
if he so elect he may initiate his claim by
actual settlement on the land, which must
consist of some act or acts connecting him
self with the particular tract claimed, such
act or acts to be equivalent to an announce
ment of such his intention, and from which
the public generally may have notice of
his claim. Therefore he is allowed three
months within which to make his claim OF
record by entry in the district land office"
Another to Senator ingalls, from Com
missioner Stockslager is as follows: Il
have had the honor to receive by reference
from you and herewith return letter ad
dressed to YOU by G.. T. Sommers, dated
Oklahoma station, Indian territory, the
29th ult. In reply have to state that the
act of March I'd, 1889, to which SOmmers
refers, provides, as he states, that no one
shall be permitted to enter or acquire any
right to any of the Oklahoma lands
to be disposed of Hereunder, who
violates its provisions by entering
upon and occupying the same prior to II
o'clock, noon, April %, the date fixed in the
Presidents proclamation of March % for
said lands to become open for settlement.
The statute makes no exception to this pro
vision. 1 am inclined to think, however,
that where a person was already within
these lands at the date of approval of the
act by the proper authority, his pres
ence there should not be re-
garded as violation of this pro
vision of the act. Primary jurisdiction
to act upon the applications to enter rests
with the district land officers, and SOmmers
may present his application for entry to the
land with proper proof of his allegations.
Should they refuse to permit the entry, he
may appeal from this action
Commissioner StOckslager to-day eX-
pressed the opinion that 100000 per
sons would enter Oklahoma within a
month after the 22d of April.
For this 100000 people there are only
about ten thousand hOmeSteads. The newt
able result of this tremendous influx, the
commissioner thought, would be a great
many contests and personal conflicts. A
further result to be feared would be the
spreading of the immense surplus over the
adjoining Indian lands, from which it would
be difficult to dislOdge them without much
trouble and possibly some bloodshed.
If the commission appointed to treat with
the Cherokees for the cession of the Cher
Okee outlet could complete their labors
within the next few months so the new
tract might be opened to settlement before
Congress again meets, this might, and
probably would, relieve the pressure.
Otherwise he feared matters would become
complicated and the equilibrium restored
with difficulty.