The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-30
MOVE IO REPEAL LAW
Opening the Kiowa and
Comanche Land
ALLEGED BY A MINER
Urges Taking ofCIaims, Ignor-
ing Election Order.

Mountain View, o. T, Sept. 29.-The In
dian police are putting the miners out
again from their own property and de-
stroying their effects. The act of June
6. 1900 opened the mineral lands Of the
Kiowa and Comanehe country to occu-
patton and purchase under the general
mining laws Of the United States upon
the passage Of the act, after which the
miners began work and on July and Z,
the Indian agent put them all out. I'M
mediately thereafter the miners procured
an injunction in the district court OF
Canadian county and obtained restrain
ing order which was served on James F.
RandIett, Indian agent All Of this ter
ritory is attached to Canadian county
for judicial purposes. The Indian agent
defes the courts, the government, the
people, for the people are the govern
ment, and the officers of the interior de-
partment are only servants Of the people.
tthe goyernment), and when an officer
violates the law he should be punished
Just the same as a private individual,
and the miners of Otter creek and Mt.
Scott district hereby appeal to the good
recpIe of Oklahoma, regardless of party
the enforcement of the law. The Wich-
TIA Mining company has done consider
able development work and their last re-
port on ore was sufficient to bring their
stock up to par, and we are now dam
aged by this indian agent at the rate Of
$s301 per day. And ours is not all
Something near 500 miners are interested
The cattlemen are against US, but they
do not know anything about mineral.
There IS wealth enough in che claim 10
bay all Of the whole entire Kiowa ard
Comanche country and all of the Eft.
and Anadarko government buildings. In
1856 this tract of land was sold to the
United States by the Choctaw and
Chickasaw Indians for the sum Of $4,000
and has remained a part Of United States
territory. ever since these Indians were
placed here az prisoners Of war for
period of thirty years. The act Of June
6, 1900, gives these Indians 100 acres of
land in the agricultural part of the terri
tory. I can not see why intelligent peo-
pie and especially the secretary of the
interior and Attorney General Griggs,
would set up such a howl about intrud-
ers on an Indian reservation. These gem
tIemen, servants Of the people, are trying
to set aside an act of congress. The
mineral belt in this tract Of land does
not interfere in any way with that por-
ton in which the Indians are to be al
lotted or opened to actual settlement I'M
der the homestead act and by proclama-
ton Of the president. Mineral lands are
never opened by proclamation. Congress
opened these mineral lands upon the
passage of the act of June 6, 1860, and
neither the secretary of the interior nor
the president of the United States can
change the law, and I would suggest TO
all who want mining claims to come and
make them safe under the present law.
for congress viii convene in December
and an effort win be made by our enc
mics TO repeal this act and shut the
miner out. Certain big syndicates are
after this rich mineral belt and what we
do under this law can not be undone
(Signed) Z. A WILLIAMS, c. E.