The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-15

have lost 1Dey 10 uOI like tHis, "
| course, but as the supreme court has
! taken il away from them, they agree
| to it and are content to become part
Of oklahoma Most of them, LOCO out
| of LOO, are Democrats and Populists,
| but they are always fair-minded and
honest in their actions and opinions To-
| ward one another. Dennis Flynn, 20
day, making the first Republican
speech ever made here, brought from
| them a great cheer when he declared
thar there was no longer any section,
no Iongr north or a south.
Today in the Office of the Greer Coun-
ty Monitor, published by o. P. Elliott
who was educated in Fort Scott, Kan
sas, over one hundred Of these Demo-
Gratis and Populists called on Dennis
Flynn. They sat around in a circle
and piled him with questions. He
answered them ali honestly. Some
times the answer did not promise all
that the questioner hoped could be ac-
complished, but they all recognized
that Flynn was telling them the truth
1 know that such a thing is not pos
sible in Kansas, but 1 saw today and
heard one Democrat looking fifty other
Democrats in the face and declare he
was going TO vote for the Republican
candidate for Congress. l heard this
repeated time and time again. The
frequent explanation by the one max
ing the declaration was: This is
for Greer county, not politics" Flynn's
reputation for hard work in congress is
what cements his political antagonists
down here so closely to him They
have heard rumorS of his rustling ahil-
tiles before they hear his speech. His
speech, showing just what he has done,
wins them completely. If most coa-
gressmen could come here and see the
oyations Flynn has received from his
political opponents, they would return
to congress next winter and work their
heads of. An audience Of four hum
dred in enc town in county which
only voted seventeen Republican votes
in 1889, applauding at every period
and at some of the commas is one of
the mighty gratifying rewards of hard
work in public life.
Greer county is almost as big as the
old original Oklahoma Greer county
was created by statutory enactment,
Feb. s, 1860. The county was made
part of the Clay land district of Texas
in 1874, being later attached for judi
cial purposes to Wheeler county, Tex
as. In 1879 congress included Greer
county in the northern judicial district
Of Texas. In 1879 the Texas legisla-
ture, which has complete control of its
own lands, passed an act reserving the
lands of Greer county from certificate
location "a Texas land method and de-
clared one-half should be used for the
benefit OF the free schools and the other
half for the payment Of the public debt
Of the state. All of the public lands
Of the state, north of the Texas and
Pacific railroad reservation were also
reserved and set aside in the same way.
Owing to this fact the public domain
subject to location in Texas was near
" exhausted. prior TO the meeting Of
the legislature in 1881, although their
attention was called to the fact, the
Texas legislators failed to repeal the
laws granting certificates Of sixteen
sections per mile TO the railroad, but
passed TWO separate acts granting land
TO the crippled Confederates, 1,2S0
acres each. with the provision that
there should be located by virtue Of the
same certificates, 1880 acres for the
schools the expenses Of the survey To
be paid by the owner of the certificate
on unappropriated unreserved lands;
the other act granted to the survivors
of the war for Texas independence,
/ $50 acres with the privilege Of locat- |
ing the same as Headlight certificates.
These certificates We're land donated
by Texas to her children. Texas has
been profuse with land Ii. Z. Sweet |
now postmaster here, came into Greer
county in 1882 TO survey Confederate
donation certificate tract. He was one |
of the first in here. Others followed. |
BY 1891 a great exodus from Texas I
took place, and the county became i'm |
portant. Texas then set in 10 clear !
its title to Greer county. The United |
States last spring beat Texas before |
the supreme court Greer county was |
adrift a few hours and then congress |
attached her to oklahoma
There are remedial acts now before |
seeking an equitable division |
OF land in Greer county and a per- |
manency of title.