Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-10-22
GOV. sTEElE.s REPORT.

lGatters OF Moment Referred To BY the
Governor Of Oklahoma.
GUTHRIE. Ok. Oct. 15-Gov. Steele's
first 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 Tor those
settlers are not only poor as were
those who came into this part Of
the territory, but they will have the
additional burden of caring for the In.
dian children in great numbers 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 DO
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 Okl ahoma proper
Concerning the opening Of the Chero-
kee 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 open ming of the Cherokee outlet
There is every reason why it should be
ff,v.rn 70 nd
that know of why it should not be. +"
AS to town sites Gov. Steele says in
part: 81 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 Tecumseh and
Chandler there were at least 5, 600 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 60 in
on foot to avoid the danger incident to
riding in on horseback 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 a great many
of the Indians refusing to take their
allotments much delay has been caused
in the aIlotting of lands to the Chey.
ennes and Arapahoes, and 1 am In
formed that the appropriation fol-
making these allotments is prac-
| tically exhausted Unless it is
| possible to make other arrange
| ments to throw these lands open to set
Element early next spring SO that set
| tiers may raise crop next year. it will
mean hardship. restitution. sickness
! and death among the hundreds of set
tiers who have been along its borders
| for weeks, and in many ins tances fol
months, waiting for homes