The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-29
r. G. SMYTH e. SONS,
Largest Bicycle House in Kansas

tory by the United States" said Land
Commissioner Sparks, could extend
| the rights of the Cherokee nation be-
yond this limit" and Secretary Lamar
approved. The Tooth meridian is the
eastern boundary of No-Man's-Land.
After the Mexican war Texas became
a part of the United States. In fixing
the boundaries of the new state the ne
gotiatOrS for the state and for the
United States ran against snag. The
snag was Mason and Dixon's line, or
the parallel OF latitude SO degrees and 30
minutes north Of the equator. Texas
as a republic had claimed the land be-
| tween the Tooth meridian and the 10gd
north as far as the Arkansas river and
| the claim had perforce been allowed
by Mexico. But by a compromise be-
tween the Shareholders and the free
sellers in the United States congress it
had been agreed that no slave state
should be crea bed north of Mason and
Dfxon's line, and here was Texas a
slave state, coming in with slave terri
| tory extending north to the Arkansas
| river. To set rid of the obstacle
Texas statesmen ceded 70 the United
Stats so much OF the territory as lay
north of the dividing line between slave
and free SOIL. We thus have the paral-
lei Of latitude SO degrees 80 minutes
north as the equator fixed as the bound
airy Of Texas and the southern boun-
dairy Of No-Man 81 Land, which was
then an unimportant part OF a Very
wide area of unOrganized territory.
Along in 1854 came the Kansas and
Nebraska bill by which Kansas was 70
be organized. The bill provided that
the southern boundary of Kansas
should be parallel OF latitude IS de-
grees 30 minutes north. until the Hon.
stephen a Douglas called the atten-
ton Of the mouse OF representatives
TO the fact that this would deprive
the CherOkees OF a large part OF their
lands in the Indian territory as given
them by Treaty. and the bill was, there
fore, amended SO that the 9th parallel
was made the southern boundary OF
Kansas. The northern boundary of q
part Of No-Man's-Land was thus fixed
Subsequently the organization OF
Colorado, with its southern boundary
on the 37th parallel, completed the
northern boundary Of NO-Man' s-I>and.
while the organization OF New Mexico
with the 103d meridian as its eastern
boundary, LEFT the strip of and BE-
tween the Tooth and 1854 meridtans Of
longitude and the parallels OF latitude
at 50 degrees 30 minutes and 81 de-
grees wholly unorganized and beyond
the pale Of any territory or state. !:
xas simply the property OF Uncle Sam
"a waste bit OF pasture that he had
overlooked in laying OUT the rest OF his
land IN patches for cultivation
That il should have been overlooked
il the course OF legislation is not sur
prising. but That il SHOULD De a part %
the United States and yet be beyond
the reach Of United States courts and
court officers. was a matter nce5ing
expianatso1- This Is the explanation
The Jurisdiction OF each United : .afes
court sitting IN The states ard terrific
r3es around about No-Nan's L.erd vas
definitely defined b. the bill that Gre
ated tee JUDICIAL d.str4cr IN Tasca the
court sits. No court takes coEuizsnce
OF any crime committed beyond the
limits % ire territory that comprises
its jurisdiction Because No-Msn's
Land was not within the limits OF any
Of the su-roun ding states and territories
Il zss overlooked n defining TIE limits
az the judicial districts. II was not
1ociu6e-i & any os TIE tUi'cial distress
On the rcea-ioa % Oklahoma Tern
tory No-Manis Land became Beaver
cos1nty and its historic associations are
blended with those % the yo1ngess
Territory % she Union-