The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-22
PLAN TO OPEN THE STRIP.
To the Editor Of the Eagle:

To the Editor OF the Eagle:
In the variou rap-rs I see the secre-
tary Of the interior iitimates That the
opening of tie strip will not be horse
race, and that the cripple will have an
equal show with other men, ETC., all OF
which suggests the idea of drawing.
Now, it is not my intention to criticise
that plan, because don't know for GER
tain that that is the plan which he has
in mind. Ny object is to suggest a
means by which the cripple and the
aged will have an equal show with the
strong and the young. 1t is, perhaps,
not necessary to state that the opening
of land to settlement in the southwest
is farce so far as the honest settler Is
concerned. These openings are attend
ed by thousands of professional BOOM
ers, who have been TO every opening, m
Guiding townsites, that has taken place
in the southwest They have taken
claims and town lots in three successive
openings, sold them ont and are now
ready for the fourth opening. There IS
another class of frauds of which l will
now speak, viz: men who own 100 acres
in other states ana who lave already eX-
hausted taeir rights, who go in the rush
and cover claims either for speculation
or 10 hold them down for some friend or
| relative. And last but not least, we
have the minors. They number in the
! thousands and are all the way from l6
| years of age to q little less than 20. The
boy with the delicate down on his upper
| lip as well as the boy with thrifty
growth of beard all over his face has
turned them out and is taking foster care
of the same, preparatory to the general
| opening in which he Will get on a claim
and while the wind blew through his
whiskers, MANY men who are legally
entitled TO the same claim will pass it
! By, thinking the boy with the bushy
/ ''iiiacs' flowing in the breeze is 81 years
of age. Thus it has been and thus it
will ,e, unless there is stop put to it.
| The poor settler with a homeless family
| is deceived and pass by claims which
are virtually vacant.
| Now the plan to do away with those
thousands of frauds: i'll the first place.
let the government prohibit people from
| entering the strip from the Arkansas
river. Then establish stations on the
| north, south and west at which prints
to enter the country will be issued.
| Said permits to have an affidavit at
| tached thereto, setting forth the facts
| that the applicant is q years of age;
| that he is not the owner of $50 acres of
land IN any state or territory; hat he
has not exhausted his homestead
rights and, if possible. that he has
not, in the past been engaged
IN the practice of holding down claims
or town lots for speculative purposes.
! Said permit should be conspicuously
! displayed when the settler gets on his
! claim, and it should be his passport to
the land office when he goes to file.
Those stations should be six miles apart,
which would mean one for each NUM-
cipal township that borders on the strip.
| The j. P.'S of said townships TO be de-
signated by the president as officers in
| charge, and authorized TO issue permits
and qualify applicants to the same. The
issuing Of those permits should begin as
soon as the proclamation is Issued, so us
to get through by the day of opening
on which day each applicant
should be required to return to
station and have his permit stamped
with a stamp prepared for that purpose.
When stamped the holder goes TO a GER
! tain spot where he is kept under guard
/ Till. say twenty or thirty minutes before
! signal is given. This will give ample
! lime to scatter out east and west before
| the signal is given. The stamping of
| permits on the day of opening would be
! a death blow TO 'soonerism. If every
/ man is registered and the number OF his
permit is placed opposite his name, and
/ permits not transferable, the illegal
/ claim holder is knocked out. What
more does the settler want, except to
dispose of his thoroughbred, get in a
vehicle and go quietly TO his claim:
| Respectfully, j. y. BRUNCE.