The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-11-01


Mr.. Springsr-This, Mr.. Speaker, il will
be seen, was doing no injustice whatever to
anyone. No one was injured except the
speCulstOEs, because there was no town es-
tablished around these stations, nothing
but the railroad station and depot. Il was
an easy matter for the railroad company to
transfer it's depot or station TO the new
town site, easier than for the town site to
be transferred TO the railroad station, be-
cause it must be remembered chat in some
cases these towns had grown TO from 5000
to 5000 population. Several thousands of
persons in many instances have located at
these points; and yet, Notwithstanding that
fact, the railroad companies positively re-
fuse up to this time TO offer depot facilities
or to take on or put of the mails at these
points.
Now, if the members will turn TO page
1919 Of the Record Of this session, they will
find the decision by Attorney General Hall,
of the land Office, addressed to the score
tary Of the interior, which laid down the law
for his guidance, and on which he acted in
allowing the Indians, members Of these
families, TO locate their lands wherever they
chose in the territory.
Mr.. Curtis, Of KRnsas-WhRt is the date
Of thatp
Mr.. Springer-May 10, 1893. That was the
authority on which the secretary acted when
compelled by law, not by his own wish, to
allow these Indian speCulRtors TO take DOS
session Of the best lands in the territory.
The only way now to do justice to the act
ual settlers is to do as the secretary did, put
the town sites elsewhere. and require, as
this bill does, these railroad companies to
furnish depot facilities at such town Sites
It seems strange thpt we should hesitate q
moment to adopt stringent measures TO re-
quire the railroad companies to furnish nee
esssry facilities to the town sites estab-
lished by law.
Mr.. Simpson, am member of the COM
mittee on territories, and have looked into
this bill somewhat, and know something
about the conditions existing in that part Of
the territory, having been over the ground.
IL is well known to gentlemen who have
investigated this subject that this is a CON-
test between a lot Of land grabbeFs in the
main; that the railroad corporations have
gone into the land grabbing business.
There is no doubt Of that. think, how
ever that the gentleman from Oklahoma
Mr.. Flynn] is mistaken in saying that the
interior department. is to blame for these
conditions.
The bill allowing allosments to these In
diRnB was 80 amended in the senate as TO
allow the agent Of the Indians to locate this
land anywhere in the territory. The bill, ss
il passed the house, originally provided that
these Indians should be limited to their i'm
proved lands that they lived upon, and ad-
joining lands; but the bill was amended in
the senate so as to allow the Indian agent TO
select land anywhere in the territory.
Mr.. Curtis, of Kansas, rose.
Mr.. Simpson, have only Rve minutes
and can not yield TO the gentleman. say,
therefore, that if the interior department
has erred at all it was through it's agents in
some way letting out the fact, or the news
getting out in some way that the govern
ment would locate their town sites or
county, seat towns at these original points
where the railroads had their stations al
ready established. Now, under the law
allowing to the railroads the right Of
way through the territory, they are granted
at each station, every ten miles, q piece Of
land 300 feet wide and 5000 feet long,
whore their depots are located.