The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-31
FOR HOMESEEKERS.
Advice That Gov. Seay Thinks Old Soldiers Would
Do Well to Follow.
GUTHRIE, March Is, 1892.

to the old soldiers, that desire to give it to
them through your columns. These lands
lover 100000 acres) will be open to home
stead entry within the next 80 days and the
old soldiers can file at the Land Office at King
fsher.-A. J. SEAY, Governor of Oklahoma.
GUTHRIE, Feb. H. 1892.
r. MCFARLAND esq, Deweese Neb.
DEAR SIR: Your letter Of the 9th inst, ask
ing ME to give you the name and address OF
some good, trusty attorney to whom you can
send your power OF attorney to ME soldier
declaratory statement, ETC., is received.
] assume that it is your intention to have
same filed upon a homestead in Cheyenne and
Arapaboe lands, which are expected to be open
to entry aud settlement very soon.
Your letter is but one of quite number OF
such letters that have been received by me
recently from old soldiers in various parts OF
the country, many of whom inform me that
they desire to adopt this method of endeavor-
ing to obtain homestead because it would be
less expensive to them than to come down here
and wait an indefinite length of time for the
opening of these lands and take the chances of
securing quarter section by settlement. The
course you desire to pursue Is quite natural, as
the law providing for the opening of these lands
says explicitly that the rights of the soldiers
are not to be abridged, and the homestead laws
have for years provided for this method OF
entry by the soldiers who served their country
during the dark days of the rebellion.
But you know how popular it is nowadays
for interested spectators to raise the cry OF
fraud and speculation against everything that
appears as likely to interfere with their peculiar
pet schemes, and the manner of securing title
to public lands is not exempt from the usual
methods employed by such people.
At the opening of Oklahoma two years ago,
the cry was raised and shouted through the
newspapers of the country that large blocks
of soldiers declaratory statements had been
secured and would be laid upon these lands for
purely speculative purposes, but the result
shows that there were very few of such state
ments in the hands of agents, and not q case OF
bad faith in connection with such fling was
over brought to light.
The same cry has again been sounded, and is
being worked for all it is worth, with q view of
inducing the Honorable Secretary of the Inte-
rior and the President to adopt some method of
shutting out such filings, and thus depriving
the old soldier who seeks to avail himself OF
the plain provisions of the law of right which
the law clearly gives him.
1t has been urged upon the Administration
that these lands should be opened to settlement
some time before they are attached to any land
district. If this course should be pursued there
would be no land office at which papers could
be filed until after all the lands would be taken
by actual settlers.
Other plans have also been suggested, but the
plan referred to seems to be strongly urged, and
some strong arguments are urged in its favor
by persons of much influence in such matters.
But do not believe that the Honorable Sec
rotary of the Interior nor the President will
adopt any plan that seeks to abridge the rights
of old soldiers, and am sure they will not do SO
if the matter is properly represented to them.
The only question is whether any one will
take the trouble to call their attention to the
facts as they exist The danger is that those
who want to shut out the soldiers declaratory
statements are wide awake, active, and have
already, as l said before, persuaded men oil
strong influence to adopt their views and to aid
them in accomplishing such a result
The cry is that there are persons here. large
numbers, hundreds, sachcls full" and some
say car loads" of these powers of attorney,
with the intention of dumping them into the
Land Office for entry the moment the same will
be received, and then selling them out after
wards for whatever they can get. They seem
TO take ii for granted that every declaratory
statement sought to be filed through an agent
is fraudulent and in bad nth, notwithstanding
the soldier when he makes his power OF attor-
ney, is required to make oath that, " hereby
give notice OF my intention to claim and enter
said tract that the location herein authorized
is made for my exclusive use and benefit, for
the purpose of my actual settlement aud Guilt
walton, and that l have made no arrangements
with him (thc AGENT for any sale or attempted
sale or REIMBURSEMENT Of my claim in any man
ner or for any consideration whatever" and
the agent or attorney when he files the state
mcnt at the Land Office makes oath that the
same is filed in good faith for the purpose
therein specified, and that have no inter
est or authority in the matter, present or pros
pective, beyond the fling Of the same"
i, for one, do not believe that any number of
ex soldiers would burden their old souls with
the crime OF perjury, nor that any reputable at
tornoy would undertake to file such statements
otherwise than in the best of faith and with
the purest Of motives.
have made diligent inquiry among those
who are advocating the above described plan
of shutting out such statements as TO whom
and where these large numbers of fraudulent
aud speculative powers of attorney are being
held, but SO far have not been able to discover
single one. There may be some, but if so, ]
think the diligence Of the local officers may be
confidently relied upon TO see TINT they do not
succeed TO any great extent. OF course all of
the safeguards possible should be thrown
around this privilege, as well as around the
privilege Of settlement and entry by other
citizens. The fact is that there arc many more
chances for fraudulent and speculative settle
iaents than for fraudulent and speculative
filings and entry. 1t requires no preliminary
oath of good intent and lawful qualification to
90 on piece OF land and claim the right as
settler" and the 80 days rs allowed by law to
settler" in which to 90 to the Land Office
and make his entry is ample time in which to
sell out his interest and turn over the posses
sion of the land to some honest homeseekcr
WHO may happen to have little money with
which TO purchase location.
Numberless entries Of such fraudulent and
speculative settlements" were made in Okla
homa, and many of those who follow the bust
ness of locating" homeseekers are now lying
around the borders Of the new lands. ready ut
dents proclamation to rush in and make
marks on many tracts as possible to induce
the belief by honest homeseekers that the same
are taken" The locator" then gets in his
work.
The dual system of obtaining title to these
lands by entering at the Land Office and by
actual settlement is likely to create confusion,
but in the opening of the limited area of land
in question, no such rush may be looked for as
was experienced at the opening OF Oklahoma
two years ago.
The great haste the ambiguous reading of
the lawssethe general misunderstanding of the
law that prevailed Mt that time, justified to
great extent the confusion that existed in the
minds Of the people, but those questions have
all been legally passed upon, and are now
generally understood. l look for very little
litigation to follow the opening Of the new
lands, but to avoid any mistakes, l think it
would be we'll for you to be prepared to take
your choice of making settlement rather
than to trust the filing Of your declaratory it
70 f.xt 81 L.. H.. L.