Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-14
LAND CRABS.
Steps Taken By the General Land
Office to Prevent Them.
ONE PERCEPTION CLAIM AT 4 TINE.
A Very Full and Explicit Statement Made
BY Commissioner Carter-Old Soldiers
Seeking Home-in Good Faith
to Be Protected.

Seeking Homein Good Faith
to Be Protected.
WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE atten-
| ton of Commissioner Carter of the gen
eral land Office, was lastgnight called to
! the dispatch from Guthrie relative to
the excitement occasioned at King
fisher as result of the instructions sent
from Washington to the land officers at
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
fled 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
medium through which soldiers de-
claratory statements might be presented
no change has been made. The instruc-
lions merely call attention to an ancient
rule which has never been deviated
from.
GAS 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 will be
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
| nlshed 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 fling of 100 to 600 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, relinquish-
ment of one of the claims which tie
agerG 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.
sit is the purpose of the department
to give to these old soldiers who have
collected in large numbers and who are
honestly seeking a home an opportunity
to obtain 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 1O.-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 were 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 ali in
sist on the southern counties III. and G.
Surveyors Brown and Mcpherson,
who plated the county seat sites of
counties III 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
beautiful site near wood and good water
and destined to be fine town. The
tounty seat of G is also well located in
good region IS far from Indian allot-
ments as possible and is on ground well
drained naturally.
These two towns will receive the rush
fromGshis country. Gov. Seay has left
for Kingfsher to receive reports from
counties c, D and E and to complete the
arrangements for the opening as to the
northern countiec.
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
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.