The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-08-02


of the Lawton land Office, the man
who draws the last number at the
governments big lottery will stand as
good chance OF securing good
claim as the person who gets a num-
Der in the second thousand. When
the government switched the scheme
Of lottery pure and simple to a
combination OF both lottery and So
lection it paved the way for complica-
tions after the third days selection.
No one here is wise enough to figure
out how those who draw can get the
land they want. Even the plats in the
land office which record the selections
already made will be inaccessible for
outside examination. The law per-
mits outsiders to examine them when
they are not in use, butthe indications
are the clerks will be almost continu.
ally at work on them with savage
aggregation of land Office lawyers
waiting for them to get through.
Suppose, for instance" said J. G.
Mcguire, the receiver, "a man has
drawn number 3l5, he knows that he
will be permitted to make his selection
on the third day and he locates a
half dozen quarter sections that he
thinks he wants. II Is possible that
the men that have preceded him have
selected these very homesteads. He
has no other in mind, he hasn't timeto
go and examine the land personally
for he must select the third day. He
will either have to select at random
on a guess for a certain section OF the
country, take the advice of some loca-
tor or ask for anything that is left.
He may and he may not get good
quarter section. When all those who
have drawn havemade their selections
there will be as good quarter sections
left as have been taken"
A RACE AFTER THE SIXTY DAYS, TOO.
Yes, and we are certain to have a
big race, too, after the sixty days are
over" added H. d. Mcknight, the
register II estimate that more than
one-third of those who are succe, sful
in drawing will not apply for home
steads. After the expiration of the
sixty days limit the homesteads will
be taken under the old homestead law.
BY this time the boomers will know
where the desirable homesteads are,
and squatters will be camped on
them -
The last graft is the Locator" He
has just begun to make preparations
to do business at Lawton. and already
he has his lieutenants sounding his
praises. One ofhis partners is Il land
Office lawyer and another is an all.
round hustler The locator" knows
all about the country; he can describe,
or says he can, every homestead in
the county available for entry. II
you draw number he will give you,
for SIS or S25, a description of a.quar-
ter section in the second bottom that
is just what you want. II you want a
homestead in one of the rich bottoms
you will have to pay $50 or maybe
300. The lawyer will keep tab on the
selections as they are made so there
can be no mistake. The 'locators'
are already on the ground here to thu
number of fifteen or twenty.
Only a small percentage of those
who have registered have made any
effort to examine the land. Possibly
it is because the government did no
object TO their doing so. All those
who have registered at Lawton have
of necessity become more or les'
familiar, in a general way, with thu
country, but even these cannot tel
one quarter section from another
OF the more than 100000 who hav,
registered at FL Reno, perhaps no
more than 10 per cent have done any
thing more towards familiarizinl
themselves with the country thll t
purchase a bad map.