The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-04-15
LAND GRABS.
Stops Taken By the General Land
Office to Prevent Them.
ONE PRE-ENPlION CLAIM At A TINE.
Very Full and Explicit Statement Made
by Commissioner Carter-Old Soldiers
Seeking a Home In Good Faith
to Be Protected. 81.

| WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE atten
ton of Commissioner Carter of the gen
eral land Office, was last night called tC
the dispatch from Guthrie relative &c
the excitement occasioned at King
fisher as result of the instructions sent
from Washington to the land officers al
that place and at Oklahoma City pre-
scribing rules for the opening to settle
ment OF the Cheyenne and Arapahoe
lands.
The commissioner said that the tele-
gram as sent to the newspapers from
Washington was strictly correct. The
commissioner further said:
For many years the rule has existed
that declaratory statements could be
filed only by the individual in person or
through an agent appearing at the land
office. Soldiers declaratory statements
never have been recognized when re-
ceived by mail. Many years ago Com
missioner Drummond ruled on this point.
The ruling has been steadily adhered
to, so that as to the use of the mails as
a medium through which soldiers de-
claratory statements might be presented
no change has been made. The instruc-
tons merely call attention to an ancient
rule which has never been deviated
| from.
''As to homestead filings in general,
/ the law provides that the paper when
| forwarded by mail must have been pre-
pared before the proper officer in the
county in which the land is located. AS
at the date land in question wilhDbe
thrown open to settlement, there will
be no officers in the counties in which
the lands are situated, it follows that
no papers can be legally prepared in
such counties. Consequently without
any rule on this subject whatever, the
mails cannot be made available as a
medium through which filings can be
presented at the time of the opening.
The commissioner, being further in
terrogated with reference to the proposed
rule limiting the number of declaratory
statements to be presented at one time
by the agent, said:
Abundant evidence has been fur
nished that the department agents have
advertised extensively for powers of at
torneys for soldiers authorizing them
(the attorneys to locate lands in the
Cheyenne and Arapahoe country. Some
of these agents have received as high as
1000 powers of attorneys to locate lands
under soldiers declaratory statements.
Many of these locations, it is alleged,
will be made, if made at all, for specu-
lative purposes. The proposed rule was
made for the purpose of protecting the
soldiers who might be personally present
at the land Office. His rights might be
seriously invaded by permitting one
person acting as agent to secure an adj
vanced position in the line and through
him the filing of 100 to 200 claims. COW
ering large portion of the desirable
land, while the old soldier Immediately
in the rear of such agent would be COM
PEELED to take what might be left or buy
from the agent at such price as his
cupidity might dictate, a relinquish-
ment of one of the claims which the
agent had succeeded in capturing. In
other words. it is the purpose of the de-
partment to prevent persons accom-
plishing more by their absence than
they could accomplish by their pres
ence.
1T is the purpose of the department
to give to these old soldiers who have
collected in large numbers and who are
honestly seeking home an opportunity
to obtain a good tract of land on at
least an equal basis with the agents
who have industriously advertised for
powers of attorney. and are now. pre-
pared to cover all the desirable land in
the coded country to the exclusion of
those persons who have appeared in
their own proper persons to exercise
their rights"
AT ELRENO.
ELRENo. Ok, April 10.-Gov. Seay
was in Elreno yesterday making ar
engagements for the Cheyenne opening.
The selection of officers and the OPEN
ing of the county seats are the perplex-
ing problems. All candidates presented
from Canadian county We're required to
sign pledges to become bona fide resi-
dents of the new counties in case they
were appointed.
The selections are practically made,
but no announcements have been made.
The applicants from this region all in
sist on the southern counties II. and g.
Surveyors Brown and Mcpherson,
who plated the county seat sites of
counties II and G, have returned with
their corps and report the survey and
plating completed. The county seat
site of II is said by Mr.. Brown to be a
beautiful site near wood and good water
and destined to be d fine town. The
tounty seat of G is also well located in
a good region IS far from Indian allot-
ments as possible and is on ground well
drained naturally.
These two towns will receive the rash
from this country. Gov. Seay has left
for Kingfisher to receive reports from
counties c. d and f and to complete the
arrangements for the opening as to the
northern countie~.
Not content with every other species
of excitement and money getting, the
gamblers of the town organized prize
fight between Henry L. Breton, known
as Frenchy, and one Glover for 81. 900 n
side and advertised the mill for Sunday,
the 10th. Another fight to finish for
gate receipts was organized between To-
cal talent and all was lovely until the
hour, then the sheriff with his forces
appeared on the scene and bagged the
crowd, which now languishes in the
county Jail. Great excitement pre-
vailed at the making OF the arrests
Much talk of rescue was INDUCED in,
but the officers stood them off.
WORDS OF WISDOM.
STJrRRORv andacitv is the lnst raf,,,ra