Milford chronicle., 1889-12-06

storm beaten harbor Of Apia.
(The president here speaks at length Of th
I progress and condition OF the Indian on gov
ernment reservations, and refers to th
Sioux and Cherokee negotiations)
The Opening Of Oklahoma.
Under the agreement made between the Unite,
States and the Muscogee (or Creel) nation o
Indians on the 10Th day of january. 1889. an ab
solule title was secured by the United states {,
about three and a half millions OF acres OF laud
Section II Of the general Indian appropriation
act, approved March = 1882, made provision ioi
the purchase by the United States from the Sem
mole tribe Of a certain portion Of their lands
The delegates of the Seminole nation havinl
iirst duly evinced to their power to act in thai
behalf, delivered proper release and convey
ance to the United States of all the lands men
TONED in the act, which was accepted by me and
certified TO he in compliance with the statute
By the terms Of both the acts referred to an the
lands 50 purchased were declared to be a part OF
the public domain, and open 70 settlement under
the homestead law. But Of the lands embraced
in these purchases, being in the aggregate about
five and a half million acres, three and half mil
lion acres had already, under the terms Of the
treaty of 1865, been acquired by the United States
for the purpose Of settling other Indian tribes
thereon, and had been Appropriated to that pur-
pose. The land remaining and available for set
Element consisted Of $50 79B acres surrounded on
all sides by lands in the occupancy Of Indian
tribes, Congress had provided no civil govern
ment for the people who were 10 be invited by my
proclamation TO settle upon these lands except a.
the new court which had been established 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 l was quite reluctant
10 open the lands TO settlement But in view OF
the fact that several thousand persons, many Of
Z. H1...f. Ca.
borders Of the Indian Territory with a view to
securing homesteads on the ceded lands and that
delay would involve them in much loss and suffer-
ing, did, on the 23d day Of March last issue a
proclamation declaring that the lands therein de
scribed would be open to settlement under the
provisions of the law on the 22d day of April fol-
lowing, at u O'Clock noon. Two land districts had
been established and the offices were open for the
transaction Of business when the appointed time
arrived.
It is much to the credit of the settlers that they
very generally observed the limitation as to the
time when they might enter the territory. Care
will be taken that those who entered in violation
IF the law do not secure the advantage they un-
airiy sought There WAS a good deal Of appre-
lensiOn that the strife for locations would result
n much violence and bloodshed, but happily these
were not realized. It IS estimated
hat there are now in the territory about 6OOOO
leople, and several considerable towns have
prung up, for which temporary municipal gov
rnments have been organized Guthrie Is said to
AVE now a population Of almost 5000. Eleven
chools and niRe churches have been established, |
nd three daily and five weekly newspapers are |
,ublished in this city, whose charter and orli- |
ances have ouly tie sanction of the voluntary
cquiesccnce Of the people from day to day.
Oklahoma f4'y has population Of about five |
housand and is propol ionately IS well provided |
IS Guthrie with churches, schools and newspa- |
'ers Other towns ami villages having popula- |
ions of from one hundred to a thousand are saat-
cred over the territory.
In order TO secure the peace Of this new COM
nunlty, IN the absence of civil government, 1 di-
ected Gen. Merritt, commanding the Department
4 the Missouri, to act in conjunction with the
narshas of tue United States to preserve the .
'eace, and upon their requisition to use the
roops 10 aid them in executing warrants and in
uieting any riots or breaches Of the peace that
night occur He was further directed to use his
influence to promote good order ami to avoid any
ontiicts between or with the settlers. Believing
hat the introduction and sale Of liquors, where
o legal restraints or regulations existed, wonld
ndanger the public peace, and in view of the
act that such liquors must first be introduced
ito the Indian reservatio rs before reaching the
hite settlements, further directed the general
anmanding to enforce the laws relatin,, to the
production Of ardent spirits into the Indian
Oantry.
The presence of the troops has given a sense of
aeurity TO the well disposed citizens. AMI has
'nded to restrain the awlrss. In one ins,ance
lie officer in immediate command of the troops
cut further than | deemed justihabla in sItp-
orting the de facto municipal government of
uthrie and he was SO informed and directed to
nit the interference Of tine military to the sup
ort OF the marshals on the lines indicated in the
9ghlal order. l very urgently recommend that
'ngress at once provide q territorial govern
ent for these people. Serious questions, which
ay at any time lead to violent outbreaks. are
waiting the institution Of courts for their peace
Il adjustment. The American genius for self
'vernnent has been well illustrated in Okla
'ma but it is neither safe nor wise to leave these
'ope longer to the expedeuts which have tenn
'rarily served them
Provision should be made for the acquisition of
lie to town lots in the towns now established in
asSa, for locating town sites and for the estab-
liulent OF municipal governments Only the
lhhg laws have been extended to that territory
d no other form Of title to lands can now be ob- {
med. The general land laws were framed with
ference to the disposition of agricultural lands
d It is doubtful if their operation in Alaska :
'uld be beneficial
IN the administration Of the land laws the policy
iaclltating' in every proper way the adjust
'ht OF the honest claims Of individual settlers
on the public lands has been pursued The
niber of pending cases had, during the precad-
administration, been greatly increased under
operation of orders for time suspending
al action in large part Of the cases orgi y
ting in the west and northwest, and by the sub
luent use Of unusual methods of examination =
ly those who familiar with the conditions y
der which our agricultural lands have been set
d can appreciate the serious and often fatal "
sequences to the settler of a policy that puts \
title under suspicion, or delays the issuance "
his patent While care is taken to preventand Il
expose fraud, it should not be imputed without ,
son. o
he manifest purpose of the homestead and II II
emption laws was to promote the settlement =
the public domain by persons having a bona =
intent TO make home upon the selected y
DIS. Where this intent has been well estab p
ed and the requirements of the law have been -
stantially complied with, the claimant is en- ~
ed to prompt and friendly consideration Of ~
case But where there is reason 60 believe O'
the claimant is the mere agent of another ,
0 Is seeking to evade law intended to promote W
NJ holdings, and to secure by fraudulent :"
.hods large tracts of timber and other lands 70
n principal and agent should not only be 81
.arted in their fraudulent purpose, but should ~
made to feel the full penalties Of our criminal u,
utes. The laws should be so administered as es
to confound these two classes. and to visit OF
alties only upon the latter. Dl
reference is here made to New Mexico to
Arizona land titles) Ell,
Pensions. t'
he law now provides pension for every soldier t,C
sailor who was mustered into the service of n,
United States during the civil war and is now ~
erlng from wounds or disease having an origin ot,
ne service and in the line Of duty Two of me AZ
e necessary facts, viz, muster and disability IN
usually susceptible of easy proof; but the fe,
d. origin in the service, is often difficult and or
lany deserving cases impossible TO establish be
very many Of those who endured the hard ~,
IS OF our most bloody and arduOus campaigns
now disabled from diseases that had a real but
origin in the service 1 do not tloubt
'sides these there is another class composed ch
men many OF whom served an enlistment of
e full years, and Of re-enlisted veterans who fol
I'd fourth year Of service, who escaped the bel
alties OF battle and the assaults Of disease Sol
were always ready for any detail, who wer,, isl.
very battle line Of their command and were era
tered out in sound health, and have, since the am
sot the war, while fighting with the same sol
mitabie and independent spirit the contests car
awl HE been overcome by disease or cas- the
tai