The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-24
MOST NOVEL
OPENING PLAN
YET SPRUNG
How Enid Man Would Do
Away With the Horse Race
AND YET HAVE NO LOTTERY
Everybody to Look at Land,
And Then Decide.

Enid o. T. March 28.-To the Editor Of
the Eagle: Many of your readers are
/ interested in the manner of the new
! country TO be opened to settlement I
! have heard Of no satisfactory plan yet
and offer the following which would do
away with the sooner. the horse race,
the sale at highest bidder. and the lot
/ terry. scheme.
The plan would be this: When the
allotments are made and the county
seats located and surveyed, the presi-
dent should make his proclamation, set
ting q date 80 or 50 days ahead, declaring
that no rights Of entry on settlement
should begin prior to that date, and des-
ignating at what place or places persons
desiring land or town lots should make
application. This is all there would be
of it except a few minor details by the
interior department among which might
be that all parties desiring land or town
lots should make application, giving
number of land or town lots accom-
panied by the usual fling Of fee Zee to
be returned If homesteader is unsuccess-
ful and retained in case Of town lots.
The working Of the plan would be as
follows. Some time before the date set
in the proclamation all persons desiring
property IN the new country land being
opened TO settlement, would go into the
country some time before date set in the
proclamation not an run but leisurely
make their selections, and file their ap-
pIications and afidavits before the prop
er officer. As no rights Of entry or set
Element could be claimed prior to date
set in proclamation there could be no
contests on account of prior settlement
or soonerism. which are about the only
grounds for contests.
On the day Of the opening there would
be no run as the application to file would
take effect Immediately, but if the de-
partment wished to be doubly sure that
there be no run tne proclamation might
provide that no rights of settlement
could be claimed until the applications
to file had been considered:
Many of the most desirable claims
would have several applicants for filings.
AS one would have no right above anoth-
er, there would be no cause for ill-feel-
ing between the applicants and they
could so about settling their interests as
they thought best. Those who are in IA
vor Of the old horse race plan could set
tie it that way, but the most natural and
common way would be to buy one anoth- /
er out. They could cast lots if they
wished to-
II parties having applications on the |
same claim could not agree It would /
have to be treated by the land Office as q /
simultaneous fling and settled according
to the rules governing such cases which /
believe is by lot. III dual applications !
for town lots, joint deeds might be issu-
cd If the department thought best.
What makes contests under our present /
system so bitter is the fact that in most /
cases each claimant honestly thinks that /
he is the only rightful owner and he /
soon learns that bluffs and perjury are |
the only things that win.
The old plan OF putting up homes as
prizes in a horse race and the best prizes
for the buffers and sooners and the i
profits for the land lawyers should be
abandoned The idea OF selling the
land to the highest bidder is an entire
of the homestead idea.
The lottery plan, while it may compare
favorably with the horse race plan,
should not be considered among the
opening plans. 1t would encourage the
gambling spirit which is already too
strong and encourage thousands to take
chances on a piece of land who have no
honest intentions Of building UP this
western country.
I have been IN every opening in Okla
homai not as q land boomer, but a sur
veyor and am acquainted with all the
schemes Of the land Spectator. The
individual who thinks he can make an
honest race providing the country opens
with a horse race and set a good claim.
has had no experience i'm such runs and
Is wasting his ume and Tisking his life
The only persons who have any show
IN case of a race are now arranging with
one or more sooners who are to enter
the country several days before the
opening and hold a claim by bluffs until
the party gets on the claim and ali 9TH
ers are blumed of I know one man
who has been offered 500 to do the soon
ar act and it win be wen worth his fee.
Thousands of men in Oklahoma have
no right TO a homestead. but are wen
qualified for sooners.
The idea OF soldiers keeping the soon
ars out sounds supremacy ridiculous to
oklahozans. Soldiers couldn't keep the
sooners out il they tried but in former
openings, the soldier was the one who pi-
oted the sooner in. supplied him with
-ood and protected him from other soon
srs who hadn't paid the proper fees
In former openings the old soldier. as
soldier has had no show BY this plan
be- would have az least an equal chance
with others. The adoption Of this plan