The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-21
No Question About Opening
of the Kiowa Country.
WASHINGTON DISPATCH
While 0isquieting, 1t Is Be-
Iieved Is Not WeIl-Founded.

The latest comes in a dispatch from
Washington saying that it is doubtful if
the land will be thrown open next spring
The land will be thrown open next
spring. The department. has promised
that TO Congressman D. T. Flynn and
Secretary Hitchcock will live UP 10 the
promise.
The alloting agents are at work and
have lots OF time before them. The
biggest job is the location of that 4So, 900
acre reservation, but that will be settled
with equal justice TO all and by next
spring the land will be ready for the set
tier, and early enough in the spring for
him to get his crops started.
The dispatch from Washington which
has disquieted some here reads: THE
opening to settlement of the Kiowa, Com
anche and Apache reservation in Okla
homa, which viii be one of Delegate
Flynns crowning achievements, along
with his free homes legislation, is still
matter of doubt and perplexity. From
the best information obtainable at the In
terror department it will be impossible
to have everything ready for the opening
until some time next year. 1t was hoped
that all the necessary field work could
be done in time to announce the opening
for early next spring. but 1t will prob
ably be summer or early autumn of 1901
before the date is finally fixed Many
inquiries have been received at the of
fee Of the commissioner of the general
land office, all of which are answered in
a stereotyped way. to the effect that no
caff 81
the lands of the reservation will be per-
mitted unHl after the allotments to the
Indians have been made and after proc
lamation OF the president and in pur-
sUance of such rules and regulations as
may hereafter be issued by the commits
sioner and approved by the secretary Of
the interior The department has given
assurances to all inquirers that the work
of allotment is going forward in a salts
factory manner, but no information can
be obtained as to the probable date of the
opening. as the department officials claim
that they cannot themselves figure with
any certainty how soon the allotments
win be completed. From what can be
gathered in a general was as to the
quality of the land which is to be thrown
open to settlement, it is of a varying
character, rich and fertile along the
smaller streams, and rather unproductive
over a considerable area; while investisa-
ton of the mineral part Of the reserva-
ton has so far failed to reveal anything
of special Importance or value
It will be noticed that this dispatch is
very vague. That it is founded on mis-
information, or lack of information all
here feel assured.
Further upon this subject, the FL Reno
News quotes Flynn in his recent speech
there. on the matter of the opening. as
follows. I'm his speech Monday NJ.
lynn speaking Of the new country and
the rlobabIe time Of opening. SAID that In
his judgment the Kiowa and Comanche
country would open not later than April
l. 1eXs year. And then he went on to
say that rs tn the time or conditions OF
the opening of the Wichita country, that
this matter had been held up by a suit
that had only been lately decided by the
supreme court; that this decision had not
yet been announced, but that it would be
in few days and that there had been
an appropriation made for the allotment
of the land so that there would be no
reason why the allotting of these lands
should not begin in the very near future
and pushed to an early completion and
that then there should be no reason why
the land should not at once be thrown
open for settlement according to the orig
inal plans. Probably a different system
for cpering viii be employed than Will
probably be the case in the Kiowa and
COInanche country"
The Kiowa country is obtaining big
write ups in the east The New York
Evening Post recently sent man to the
to the ground and ne sends his paper the
following in regard to the new country,
from Minco:
For sixty miles the Rock STAND railroad
passes close to the east border Of the vast
Comanche, Kiowa and Apache reserva
ton. On the east Is the Chickasaw
country Of the Indian Territory. farmed
with much ability by the Indians or
whites under lease. of to the west
stretch miles on miles Of as good land
with timber. streams, and fertility used
only for pasture. On the north ard west
Of the reservation IS Oklahoma. with
white family on nearly every quarter-sec-
ton, thriving in the development Of rich
acres. It is a strange condition and one
that can exist only short time longer /
Ever since the first frenzied rush into
the new lands. envious eyes have been
cast at the reservation, and now the pro-
cess which is 20 lead 10 its civilization ls
in operation Last winter congress passed
a Iaw that the Indians should take a.
lotments. 1so acres OF farm land and Iss
acres Of grazing land. and that the re-
should. on the PRESIDENTS proc
lamation. be opened n settlement.
Immediately began the rush thlther
Along the roads Of Oklahoma one se-s
the white csnvas-topDed prairie xchoan-
ers bound southward-faey are earring /
settlers. Along the borders 4
q the reservation are camps taat have /
been there since spring. and w!H remain /
Until the opeEiuE-soDe time next spring /
TIE men support themselves by ASKING 4
hunting. and working on the railroad 4
and for tsEmsTs-sna are content 20 wait /
-sooners" have sneakeS INTO the land as
they did into Oklahoma and picked Ger 4
choice claims. Tor which they saj make
= swift race when the n0g4r c1-zaea Near
b every f0ot-i00ze Okiaaornsn expects 70
,ry for a claim we airs go,u' 30 make
n run. said a llyeTyusan ~ herman
ne either day MAJ ~ we ~aF't get
; claim. bg; it's worth .rying It =
sorth tr-sirx Men Eh6 mace TIE r7sn
nto the Cherokee strip Esveu years aKa
ind were then p1or are worth fh8asaras
7ow- Tas Texans Wil egrne % from ~
sol4ih=ru border. ard tens = ftosx sands
'roru zl parts - thz ezyntry III corr
= sweI th4 erez1z u Sfg - a Krea.
srez.st base ard fAe 1zss ar;H 80 Ia {