The historic times., 1891-10-17
GOV. STEELE'S REPORT,
matters of Moment Referred To Ey the
Governor of Oklahoma.

Governor of Oklahoma.
GUTHRIE Ok, Oct. Is Gov. Steele's
frst report to the secretary of the in.
terror has been prepared and forwarded
to Washington.
The school problem In the new coun-
ties Is treated as follows: 81 am very
sorry indeed that provision was not
made by congress for helping the set
tiers support the common schools in
the Sac and Fox, Iowa, Pottawatomie
and absentee Shawnee lands recently
thrown open to settlement, for those
settlers are not only poor az were
those who came into this part of
the territ ry, but they will have the
additional burden of caring for the In.
dian children in great mum bers who
may attend the common schools, not.
withstanding the fact that the lands or
personal property Of these Indians may
not be taxed to help support the schools
This will be true with reference to the
Cheyenne and Arapahoe and Kickapoo
country, which it is hoped will be
thrown open to settlement early next
spring. 1t seems to me there is more
reason for helping the settlers support
the schools in these lands than there
was in Oklahoma proper"
Concerning the opening Of the Chero.
lzee strip this is said:
Nothing / think OF would be more
gratifying to the people of not only
Oklahoma but those of Arkansas, Mis-
souri,, Texas, Kansas and other states
who are anxious for homes than would
be the opening Of the Cherokee outlet
| There is every reason why it should be
thrown open to settlement and none
that know Of why it should not be-"
| AS to town sites Gov. Steele says in
part; II hope before any other town
sites are thrown open to settlement the
town sites will be carefully selected,
surveyed, plated and published, and |
earnestly recommend a different mode
Of opening town sites to settlement. At
the recent opening of Tccumseh and
Chandler there were at least 5000 peo-
pie at each place waiting for the signal
to be given for entering said town sites,
containing 2,400 lots, good and bad A
very large proportion of those intending
to enter the sites were anxious to go in
on foot to avoid the danger incident to
riding in on horse back or in wagons and
vehicles Of various kinds. One man
was killed by his horse falling on him,
others were more or less injured, but
the real settlers were in too many In
stances deferred from attempting to
get lot or home from the very fact
that horsemen were allowed to ride in.
Lawyers without clients abound; bank
ers without banks or capital are there;
real estate spectators without Gus
toners, gamblers, whisky peddlers and
bootleggers all before the opening were
there to ply their vocation"
The governor speaks of the opening
Of the lands on the western border as
follows: ION account Of great many
Of the Indians refusing to take their
aIlotments much delay has been caused
in the allotting Of lands to the Chey-
ennes and Arapahoes, and | am IN
formed that the appropriation for
making these allotments is prac-
tically exhausted Unless it is
possible to make other arrange
ments to throw these lands open to set
tlement early next spring so that set
tiers may raise crop next year, it will
mean hardship, destitution, sickness
and death among the hundreds of set
tiers who have been along It's borders
for weeks, and in many ins tanceS for
months waiting for homes"