, 1890-07-24

settlement. Open up these lands,
and we will soon place 10000 peo..
pie In there, and most of them VIII
vote the republican ticket. The In
dians should not be allowed to mo-
nopolize these great tracts TO the eX'
clusion of actual settlers.
GENERAL STONE.
The guest of the evening was then
invited TO address, the company.
General Stone was warmly ap'
plauded when he arose. He has an
easy. natural delivery that Is most
entertaining, is II man without the
faintest trace ofaflectation, and talks
In a way that Mt once enlisis the in
terest of tho listener. You said this
evening" he began, that you are
hraggcrs, but you will now be re-
lievcd of thnt. Two visitors from
Iowa-Mr. Clarkson and myself
will do enough of that for your
state when we get East. You have
n state of wonderful resources, and
We will brag for the next six
months" Although this was the
speakers first visit he had followed
the fortunes of the state historically,
and was familiar with Its history
since the requirement of Oregon ter
ritory by treaty with Great Britain.
He was familiar with the trials OF
our pioneers. He declared that In
spite of all he had read he was most
agrecably surprised in the state and
also In the wonderful city Of Spo-
Kane. He first heard of this place
in 1884, ON the discovery of gold
In the Cmur d'Alenes, and was
on the point then of coming out but
was deferred by gloomy reports
from the mines. He regretted to-
hear of the great disaster that laid
the city IN ashes, and knew that
the city was recuperating, but was
surprised at the advances made.
Here he had seen blocks of buildings
that would do credit to Chicago.
We have broad streets, and beauti-
ful and grand river. The cascades
here he considered the most beauti-
ful and picturesque that he had
ever beheld, and he said this in the
face of the fact that he had seen
Niagara. Nothing can compa re
with the Spokane. We have
valleys broad aud fertile, orchards
and meadows, mines whose wealth
is not even estimated, coal within
reach, railroads and good climate;
In fact all the resources and ele-
ments of a great and prosperous
state. and all this tributary to Spo-
kane.
"Thisl Is not a political caucus"
said the speaker, ''and i do not wish
to say anything to offend any dem
ocrats that may he present. At the
same time you have u right TO
indulge in strong suspicious that
i am u republican, although there
is n little democracy in the glass
before me-" The republican party
is safe so long as IL can steer clear
of factionai differences among the
Leaders. The party can always be
relied upon. Iowa has swelled the
majorities of the new
states, and at the expense OF her
big majority; but young republicans
were coming up. The democrats
had not the ambition or courage to
come out here, and that explains
the fact that Iowa now has q demo-
cratic governor.
MIR. Stone spoke in admiration of
the Puget sound country. The riv-
ers there all have rich valleys. BE-
fore many years 4 great city will be
built on the sound, equal to 81 n
Francisco. But Spokane need not
be jealous of the sound; she has an
empire of her own.
The speaker next spoke of the gen.
eral land office, contrasting the adj
of Sparks with the
present rule. In three years Sparks
issued 10000 agricultural patents.
In one year the present administra-
ton issued 10000. Why this differ
ence? Because Sparks ideas were
The clerks We're not
permitted to do much, because
sparks suspended final proofs and
entries all over the West, and al
most suspended the administration
of the land laws. He proceeded on
the the theory that every
man on the public domain
was "a thief or u scoundrel,
and every settler had to prove
his innocence. The speaker knew
the embarrassments OF the pioneer
He had been with him in the SHOWS
of winter and the sun of summer,
had slept with him and broken
bread at his table. AS a rule IL
takes all the settlers money to make
n start and put In . crop. Then If
his crop failed he must be permitted
to leave his claim and earn his liv-
ing. Sparks charged up every day
of absence, and made the settler
Ill NJ
Stone believed in a more
liberal policy. If n man has to
lease in winter, let him go, and If
he returns in the spring let him
have patent.
Two classes Of claimants had wor-
ried him considerably. One Of
these were the schoolnia ans OF the
who taught school a part
of the year, and who often neglected
their claims. The other class was
the soldiers. The boys in the land
office at Washington were wont
to declare that If a claimant
were a schoolma'am or soldier,
they always got their patents. The
speaker cited one case of "A vetetan
W no, when he came to prove up, was
less than three months short In his
time. He ought to have shown
three years service, instead of
twenty-seven months, as shown by
the records. Mr.. Stone cut the
gordon knot by declaring that tn e
old soldier had doubtless made up
that much extra time in mid night
and on bivouac, and he
got his patent.
The speaker believed it was
against public policy TO keep large
bodies of land reserved for lew III
iians. He was glad he had come
here, because he had learned much
about these reservations. We must
reat the Indians fairly and literally,
and give them a chance to earn their