The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-16

| CALDWELL Kan, April Is Consider.
able anxiety prevails among tie boomers
camped here relative 10 the method OF
| opening the strip to settlement All OF
them condemn the plan suggested by Sec
retary Hoke Smith, as impracticable and
as against the interests of the bona fde
| homeseskers. The question which agi-
t8tes the settlers Eow is what method
| shall be adopted
h. Z. Cromwell gentleman who has
had good deal of experience in the set
tlemens OF newly opened countries. has
conceived the following plan, which is
novel, to say the least:
The government is 10 place as nearly as
| possible i'll tue center of each section a
| post. with four small lock-boxes thereon
| containing the numbers of the section
| township, range, etc, us a guide to the
! settler. Then establish along the line,
{ outside the strip. but adjacent thereto, as
many distributing offices for the distribu-
tion OF tickets as are found necessary to
accommodate all. The issuing of tickets
| is to be done on the forenoon of the day of
the opening Each ticket Is 70 bear the
name of the applicant but TO be issued
only to those who are by law eligible 10
file on government land
When the time arrives to enter, every
same moment; but the person who arrives
at any OF the respective boxes and places
therein his ticket, shall, on presentation of
the same ut the local Land office, be de-
clared the first settler and granted the
right 10 tie. Contests on the allegation
of simultaneous or prior settlement shall
lie debarred The settler shall he COM
PEELED to pay, in addition 10 the usual
fees, the full expense OF the box, survey,
etc, which Will probably not exceed 81 80
to each settler, as tie boxes can Le made
OF tin or other cheap material, with u
cheap spring lock. The ticket is to be de-
posted in the box hv the first person 10
arrive at the center of the section, to he in
the form OF an atfidavitt that he or she is
eligible to make homestead entry under
the United States statutes, and signed in
the presence of the local register, aud also
connJersigued by the register.
BY issuing the tickets as above described,
all those who are not eligible Will be de-
barred from competing with those who
are. By placing the issuing Offices outside
the strip ali woulti-be soouers are COM
PEELED To be out IN order TO obtain a ticket
Issuing the tickets on the forenoon Of he
day OF the opening will prevent parties
from entering under the cover OF night,
making 1t obligatory upon the settler who
first arrives at Il post to remain there six
hours. or until at least two Competent Wit
ueSses arrive.
Should any person on his arrival at his
respective post find any box missing before
the expiration of the six hours, it shall he
his duty to report the same to the land
office, and II the party removing the same
can be found he or she shall pay a heavy
fine and be imprisoned. No person shall he
allowed to deposit the ticket of another |
under penalty OF a fiue and imprisonment |
No person shall be allowed To file unless /
said person can present II box continuing d /
ticket bearing his or her name, as given at
the distributing offices.
In conversation with the EAGLE CORES
pondent today. speaking OF tie contem-
plated method OF opening the Cherokee /
strip, Hon. j. W. Ross, president of the /
Commercial club Of this city, said
While all admit that the>department at /
Washingto is anxious to adopt the best |
and most feasible means OF opening the /
Cherokee strip TO settlement, aud while /
defects and objections exist in each and AL /
the modes suggested IN opening the same
vet some methods are more Objectionable /
than others.
The most Objectionable method to my
mind, is the lottery scheme-so-callcd
All the modes spoken of involve "A run 10
get there first-either on the land or to the
land ofics--for the first numbers first
places in the procession line, may be
designated by the department, if said
met bod is adopted.
at is fact we'll know to those now on /
he border that in case the lottery plAn be
decided upon. there will be at least five
times as many applicants for land as
there will be quarter-sectious. Con
four-fiths OF the applicants
viii be entirely left out Of
chance to &c, anything. The result will
be the same whether they form lines in
priority or are given numbers consecu-
tiyelv. The first fifth viii let al, and the
ast four -ffihs nothing. a. said before.
Especially Will this be the case rs to
he eastern portion of the siIip--east of
kioNa-as these lands have been exten-
sively advertised, and tie twenty day
notice OF President Cleveland in his proc
lamstiou will bring thousands Lere on all
sides Of The coveted land.
"Agsin. not over one person O three Of I
the successful! parties drawing quarters ,
viii be satisfied with what be draws.
Bat IA still further Objection 10 tie
ottery plan or system = tEat thousands /
viii apply who heretofore cid not expecI
10 try 10 obtain quarter
TO my mind the Cromwell pIan oi hsv-
ug :. post iu the center Ii taLn section, .
sIth "a box Tor esch quarter lu which 70
deposit your name. etc. which box Is 10 o
IRve on i a spring or automatic LOCK. the
Jox 10 b. taken 10 tie !al4 Office hy the
lersou who frs: gets there, j. ths snCst
eaS bic aud most likely 10 avo54 expensive !
contests.
II mas; be admitted tha; IL al thr 4
IlAns suggested the winners wlaa BE- hose
" 10 have he fastest r.eaEs d. tTanstgSrts4- :
tioI ard lie more deserving pgOE Hiea .
Without ,,seaI4s sI.i be the ones wao wsis
,et eit aud hsve not siug for their eff gfls.f