The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1894-10-12
THE OVER sHADowING oUEsTIo

There IL no question that so directly
and vitally concerns the settlers upon
fifteen millions acres of land in what
is now Oklahoma as does free homes.
Under the act Of the Republican party
which controlled the government at
the time, price was put upon those
lands and the settler in taking a home
for his family was compelled to obli-
gate himself to pay the government
from 5000 to $3.50 and the land Office
fees before he can secure title thereto.
This was n reversal of the policy of
the government pursued always of
giving homes to the homeless upon
the public domain. The excuse set up
for this change of policy was that the
government had to expend such large
sums of money in acquiring titles to
the lands in question it was necessary
that IL should be reimbursed. Those
who set up that excuse ate either ig-
norant Of the fact, or wilfully ignored
il, that the great bulk of the public
domain was acquired by the gov
erninent through the eXpendi-
ture OF vast sums of money,
though it was never regarded as n neccs
sary to charge the homeseeker a price
for any of such lands. AS for the Cher
okee strip there is good reason to be-
lieve that prices were put upon the
In. ,I 40 10 .
ranted act OF paying the Cherokees for
their alleged equity In that country.
IN law and of right the Cherokees
had no valid claim TO the strir, ayipg
voluntarily abandoned it for the pur
poses for which it was granted by
congress. The eight million dollars
the Republican congress agreed to
pay them was gratuity, pure and
simple, the supreme court having de-
cided that the Indians had no legal
title 10 the outlet.
The condition of the treasury at The
time the act was passed providing for
the payment OF the Cherokee 4
claim CD was not such as 10 warrant
the payment OF that or any other sum
for such purposes, owing to the profit
gate waste of the peoples
money still this did not
justify the act, because the
same act provided for the payment OF
the Indian claim ia bonds of the gov
ernment (which increased the publ,
debt by that amOunt)
la their earnest desire to secure
homes for themselves and their fami
lies, the settlers upon the lands il
question assumed obligations that
many OF them well knew they coulC
never fulfill. Being without means
other than what they are able 10 carr
by chance ii is a hard struggle for tn,
settlers TO keep the wolf from the dool
OF their abins, and at the same tim,
make such improvements upon thei
claims as are absolutely necessary fo
the maintenance Of their families, no
viii it be possible except in rare case
for them TO accumulate the monel
that will be required against the tim
payment becomes due What the re
suit will be need not be stated; ther'
can be bat one.
Nor is this new condition, recently
developed. II was as patent during
the last session of congress as II is TO
day. And yet, with this urgent situ
alton staring him in the face Delegat,
Flynn was as silent as shrimp,
making no move and suggesting nc
measure of relief for the distressed
condition Of thousands Of his cohstit-
uents. The matter has become SC
pressing now, though, that he cannot
longer shut his eyes TO it or keep nun
as no has heretofore. lie has diseov
cred that something must be done. bu
realizes his helplessness 10 do any
thing. lie has taken up the cry OF
free homes, but Is compelled to ad'
NIT in his public speeches that, being
a Repu bliean. and the house Demo
cratic, he has no hope OF securing leg
islation that will give all settlers
equal rights and their homes free in
the territory, and that the most he
will be aLle 70 do viii be the securing
an extension of the time in which
payment mnst be made. How absurd