The Red Cloud chief., 1892-06-24
THE CHEROKEE STRIP.
salient Features OF the New Bill Opening
the Land to settlement.

salient Features OF the New Bill Opening
the Land to settlement.
WASHINGTON, June 14.-The bill open.
ing the Cherokee strip TO settlement,
which the committee on Indian affairs
reported favorably to the house yester-
Day, differs very much from Chairman
Peers bill, which he first introduced.
concerning 1t, Mr.. Peel said to q cor
respondent:
THE committee suggested l report
just such a bill as 1 thought best, and
when / gave the matter attention
made many changes and backed IL with
a report which I am proud of. have
blocked all sooners, land grabbcrs,
town lot grabbcrs, claim jumpers and
nave made 1t possible for an honest
homeseeker to get a home without be-
ing disturbed by this class of individ-
uals No person can take n claim who
mas ever taken a claim any place else,
unless he lost such claim by contest.
THE president is required to give
thirty days notice before opening to
settlement, and any one going on the
land before the date fixed not only for
feits all right, but is subject to fine and
imprisonment, and government officials
are prohibited from locating on land.
Any n attempting TO take land who
Is not legally entitled to is subject to
line and imprisonment.
1T Is opened to homestead settlers
only, and they are allowed to make pay
ment of one-half at the end of the Sec
ond year and one-half ut the end Of the
fourth year. The east one-third Is sold
to the settlers for $3.50 per acre; the
middle third. s1.5O per acre, and the
west third, 81 per acre. This Is to re-
imburse the government for money
paid the Indians.
"The bill provides that before the
country is opened to settlement the
president shall appoint n commission to
locate all county seats, survey all towns
into lots and blocks and appraise the
same. When the country is opened to
settlement these lots are sold to the
highest bidders at public auction. The
proceeds are turned over to the county
treasurer in the respective counties to
be placed in the school fund"
The bill has nothing to say about
creating new land offices, and Mr.. Peel
expressed the opinion that the business
could be done at Guthrie and King
fisher. The bill will now go upon the
house calendar and be called up posi-
bly, within a month.
MIR. Peel leaves In n few DAYS for Ar
kansas to look after political matters
and says he is assured by the commit
tee on rules that he will be given time
as soon as he returns for the considera-
ton OF the bill. While In Arkansas a
few weeks ago looking after "a renom,
nation he found a strong feeling In
favor OF opening the strip to settlement.
This caused him TO take the matter up
and place it before the house. He says
1t will pass the house with little oppose
ton and meet with practically no oppo-
sition in the senate.
The Indians and whites living in the
country covered by the Quapaw agency
do not want the bill to pass which opens
their country to settlement and at
taches 1t to Oklahoma as Il county. j.
+. McNaughton, Of the Peoria country,
arrived to-day with petitions from citi.
zens there requesting hat the country,
when opened, be annexed to Kansas or
Missouri, but not to Oklahoma. The
petitions will be presented to the com.
mittee having the bill under considera-
ton. and McNaughton will go before the
committee in behalf of those opposing
this feature of the bill.