The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-08-20

AN AUTHORITATIVE EXPRESSION
HON. w. B. Johnson Outlines 0ov-
ernment's Position.

this district, in his Office today
and asked him the following ques-
ton:
Will you please give us for pub
lication any information you are
at liberty to impart relative to the
sale of town lots in the Chickasaw
nation, and especially about plat-
ting towhsites on the Frisco"
railroad by individuals and the
purchase and sale of lots in such
proposed townsi To which he re-
piled:
Under the Curtis act and AtOka
agreement all towns then in exist
ence (June. 1881 were ratified
and the land upon which they
we're situated, according to their
limits as they then existed, was to
be segregated from the lands sub
ject to allotment. and the owners
of permanent improvements upon
the lots were to be. given an OPP
portunity to purchase the same
after appraisement. No right was
conferred on any one to sell va
cant lots except the townsite board.
In fact, it is made severe penalty
for any one to pay or receive rents
on any lands except the pro-rata
share of an allottee of agricultural
and grazing lands.
There being no provision for
laying out or acquiring title to
lots in new towns. congress, dur
ing the last days of its recent ses-
sion, provided that the secretary
of the interior, at any point along
the line of any railroad. might
designate 160 acres Of land for
townsite purposes to be plated
and sold under his direction. ETC.
No other townsite is legal and
no other will be recognized.
Section 2118 revised statutes of
the United States provides that
any person who surveys or makes
any settlement upon Indian lands
will be liable to a penalty of $1,000.
The necessity for the strict enforce
ment uf these laws is apparent. If
one citizen has the right to lay out
a townsite, all have it. The i'm
perative and unceusing demand
Imade by our people for speedy al
lotment and the perfection of title
cannot be accomplished while this
state of affairs exists. The lands
are to be allotted after appraise-
ment according to value and loca-
ton. Why any sane person would
want to buy a lot or lots in a new
town, that has not been laid out
by the secretary of the interior
and sold by him is beyond com
prehensio1. No title can be given,
none is acquired. l am informed
that all lots in the new towns laid
out according to law will be sold
at public auction regardless of i'm.
provements. 1t occurs to me that
by the time person pays for lot
to one who has no right to sell,
and then buys it at public auction
in order to protect his improve
ments, and stands his trial for
violating the law by settling on the
land before it was designated by
the secretary of the interior, he
will have paid about as much as
two or three blocks will be worth
many years from now. Should
the new towns be designated where
designing individuals have been
selling lots, their survey, plats,
etc. will not be recognized, and
one having improvements upon
supposed lot may be in a park OF
public street or alley.
In other words, l am informed
that as these townsite boomers are
violating the law and the rules and
regulations of the department,
which has the only right to desig-
nate and plat the towns, it will not |
be deemed expedient to encourage
their wrongful act by recognizing |
any pretended rights they may
have. The government desires am
pie protection for its citizens, and
will afford it, but will insist that
its laws be obeyed, and TO that end
prosecutions will be begunand zeal
ously pushed to a final determine.
ton against all who have violated