The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-16
THE PEOPLE OF GREER COUNTY


roads. Section lines are plainly mark
ed by fences and the roads are good.
People here are prosperous. What is
meant by prosperity is contentment.
Their fields are wide and level; their
corn has done fairly well; their wheac
better, and their cotton is fine. Their
cattle are rolling with fat The people
are not rich by any means. But they
live exceedingly well. Their houses
are of frame and of goodly size. I
saw one home today Olr. Simpson .
that contained eight large rooms. This
was on the ioad between this place and
Mangum.
Best Of all in Greer county, however,
is the fact that the people are free of
debt. They are strictly On a cash
basis. Their sorghum and corn finds
a customer in the cattleman, who -four
ishes in the northern portion Of the
county. The one trouble is that which
is common to so much of the west
a lack Of moisture at critical periods.
AS we passed along today, we saw
men and women and children IN the
cotton-felds at work and along the
roads we passed wagons with high
sideboards full of the fluffy southern
staple. One of the reasons the Greer
county farmers are free from debt IS
because Of the present unsettled condl-
ton of their titles to their lands. But
the present condition, 1 am told, Will
be a habit by the time titles are quiet
ed. All along the route improvements
become more and more marked. am
told that this Improvement increases 10
the Red river, which is the southern
limit of the county
I find that most people here believe
the supreme court in error in its Greer
county decision taking the county from
Texas and giving it to the United
States. Having been under Texas rule
for so long, having originally come
from that state and being accustomed
to it's laws, the change was in no sense
agreeable. The settlers have found 1t
necessary TO post themselves on the
land laws of the United States and the
LAWYERS have had to read new books in
order to master the Oklahoma proceed
IRE. The people also reluctantly sur
render their privilege Of voting for
president and for a congressman who
has a vote In Washington. But out
side these feelings, they believe in add
ton that Greer county really was a
part Of Texas. Mr.. Tally, at whose
home we stopped last night told me
that Mr.. Marcy was sent out to sur
vey this country from Washington in
1852. In that year Marcy took a gen.
eral survey Of the country. One tree
which he blazed near here Is still stand
ing. On one side Of this tree is marked
"indan Territory" on the other TEX
as" Marcy climbed the western spur
of the Wichita mountains and named
one OF the peaks webster" 1t still
retains this name. Mr.. Tally told me
that for years the North Fork of the
Red river had always been regarded as
the main Red river; that nothing was
known in the early part of the century
in regard to the South Fork of the
river, which the supreme court has de
cided was the main river when Spain
ceded its territory &c Texas
But the supreme court ended it AS
have before written much Of this land
was donated by Texas to Confederate
veterans and to veterans Of the war for
Texan independence. But great ma
Jority of the land was taken by squat
ter sovereignS from Texas. They SIM
ply came in and settled down The
Supreme courts decision, of course,
jumbleS the titles for the present.
which will correct the trouble. What
the Greer county people desire is 100
acres on the free homes plan and the
privilege of buying another 100 acres.
The men ont here say the additional
100 acres is necessary for range. With
out Il. they say, they cannot make a
go OF il. The amount of land Texas
granted TO crippled Confederates was
to each $50 acres. The town Of Man
gum was at first taken on this plan
by a man named Mangum. MangJGn
is no longer here. His land was pur-
chased from Inn by Mr.. Sweet, the man
who now postmaster.
The people in Greer county are oil
well educated and up-to-date on cur
rent news. l have found any number
OF Palmer Democrats here. The var
ious national platforms are discussed
and intelligently. The complexion Of
politics. however. differs radically from
the rest OF Oklahoma. The greatest
enemies the Populists of tbs county
have are the Democrats. The Republi-
cans here regularly join with the Dem
ocrats TO do up the Populists. The
Republicans and the Democrats are
close political allies The fusion Of
the Democrats and Populists on Rev.
Callahan for congressional delegate in
Oklahoma, is not understood here by
the Democrats, and they view with dis
gust this invitation to join with their
enemies, This is another illustration
OF what connecting link between the
north and the south Oklahoma is The
Populists in the south and the Popu-
lists in the north have differert an
tagonists. When they attempt in Ok
Ia homa to join their fight in the north
with their fight in the south. a general
mix-up results. II is really a worse