The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-29
WHAT WAS H FOR?
Why Was the Big Body of
Kiowa Land Set ASide2
SAID TO BE PLATTS PLAN
To Provide Land for.UnaIIOted
indians.

FL Reno, o. T, July 2S.-The unusual
feature of the Kiowa and Comapche
country opening is the reservation OF a
tract of $4,000 acres. This tract Of land
promises to play several important parts
in the near future of the new country
In former openings no such reservation
was made and it has been mystery
why it was made in this case. The pro-
vision for it in the bill came as sur
prise to the prospective settlers. The
most common belief is that it was set
aside 10 favor the cattle interests which
have hitherto enjoyed pasturage in that
country.
Under the bill the Indians are permit
ted to take each $50 acres and a reserva-
ton Of $4,000 acres in a body is to be
made for them. Lately the Indians have
expressed dissatisfaction with this plan
and have started an agitation for doing
away with the $4,000 reservation and adj
ding it TO each of their individual allot-
nents. This would be fatal to the pros
pective settlers chance for an extra good
farm, and it would also necessitate new
Legislation on the whole matter in the
next congress, causing delay and a big
.
chances for a farm would bitterly oppose
this Indian scheme. The Indians believe,
and not without cause. that if a $4,000
tract is segregated, it will not be many
years before congress will be prevailed
upon to open this for white settlement,
too
It is coming out here that the including
Of this provision in the bill was at the
wish of Senator Platt of Connecticut,
who takes foremost interest in Indian
affairs and that he had it set aside with
a purpose which he has not generally di-
vulged, his supposed purpose being to pro-
vide land for andless Indians. There are
hundreds of these Indians scattered about
over the country, several hundred in
Oklahoma and Indian Territory. They
have had no land allotted to them and
unless some such provision as the one
Plat proposes is made they never will
have. If this is true of Senator Plat, the
reservation will be allotted from time to
time to Indians from all over the nation.
But at present the matter of location
CT this big body of land is very important
II people who expect to make race for
a home. These will gather in the Chicka-
the north and in Texas on the south If
the Indians are permitted to choose this
tract Of land they may locate il on the
North side Of the reservation which would
b. extremely bad for the Oklahoma con-
tingent which will go into the new coun=
try from that direction. If the land
should be chosen on the south, the Texas
contingent would suffer. The chances are
that for this reason influence will be
brought to bear on the department to
have the tract occupy a central position
IN order to give everybody show.
The Mountain View Progress says: The
kiowas and Comanches are not pleased
with the idea of the white man taking
their land They would prefer to hold
the reservation in common and receive
their semi-annual payments for grass
money. The reservation contains up-
wards of 100000 acres Of land and 2qf5
Indians within its borders have been re-
ceivins the proceeds of pasture land
leased to cattle men. Many of them
have picked out farms and either farmed
themselves on n small scale or leased
them 10 white men, Now that the omen
ing Of the country makes it necessary for
them to select their allotments and the
remaining land opened for settlement TO
whites, the Indians are making a roar
and many Of them declare that they will
nos select their allotments
Many years ago when the government
commenced leasing the land for grazing
purposes and giving The proceeds to the
Indians. some of them refused to take
the money, thinking that by so doing
they were selling their rights to the
land.
Some Of the ghost dancers. led by Sat
earpeat, have not only declared that they
would not take their allotments but
have agreed among themselves that the
nrst one who breaks his pledge is to be
Killed. The ghost dancers are a class of
Indians who refuse to accept the relig
ious teachings of the white man and
are known as being "anti-Jesus' In
dians