The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-02-03
ANOTHER
OPENING
SUGGESTION
Mr. Lamar of Enid Suggests
an Opening Scheme.
APPEARANCE IN PERSON
Made a Condition Precedent
to Securing Certificate.

Enid, Q. T., Feb. TO the Editor OF
the Eagle: In further support of the
many good ideas set forth in your issue
of January %, why the opening Of the
new country should be done by some 9th
er plan or method than the usual horse
race. wish to suggest a plan whiea, If
followed out, I believe would be enrieely
satisfactory to nine-tenths Of the people
and there would be no contests or lives
lost in the scramble and each and every
one would have a neGual right.
Allow the government TO establish a
booth or land Office on the reservation
three months or more before the time
that the land viii be thrown open, or as
soon as the number Of quarter sections
available 10 homestead entry can 5e as
certained. and require each and every APP
picant for a claim to appear IN person
and subscribe to an application blank,
under oath. a form similar TO that used
in the homestead affidavit, except cid sol
diers, who should be allowed to make ap-
pication for registration by an attorney
and secure a certificate the same as the
regular homestead applicants, and at the
same time require each and every appll-
cant to leave with the officer IN charge
his or her photo for future reference If
needed.
The officer in charge should be furnish
ed with books Of certificates consecutive
" numbered and also have a record book
numbered similar to the certificates, ard
as each applicant appears for a certif-
cate have him register on this record. cp-
posite the number corresponding to the
certificate that he is to receive, his zane,
pOstoflce, county and state
After the time allowed for the appli-
cants to appear before the officer and
register has passed, require officer in
charge to make up a complete list Of all
numbers registered in his office and for
ward them to the secretary of The land
Office at Washington or a committee ap-
pointed for that purpose. who in turn
shall take and place each number sepa-
rately in an envelope, also place the num-
Der Of each and every quarter section
available for settlement in similar en-
velopes until all are enclosed, and in case
there are not as many envelopes as there I
are Of those containing the numbers. (
place blanks In enough so as to have the [
Same number Of both kinds.
After having provided for some conven- /
lent mode Of drawing, have the envelopes /
containing the numbers of the applicants /
certificates placed in one department. and /
the envelopes containing the numbers of |
the lands in a similar department Hav- I
ing thoroughly mixed the envelopes, pro- |
coed to draw one from each department /
and have clerks to open and register the /
applicants number aud the quarter sec /
ton, or blank drawn, each tirae until al (
the numbers have been registered.
After the drawing have tire committee
in charge to publish through the Asso-
ciated Press dispatches the results. CIV
ing the numbers and quarter section or
blank drawn, also at the same tyne fer
ward the results to the officer in charge
where the registration was done and the
certificates Issued and require him to Of
hcially notify each applicant by mail the
results Of the drawing, whether success
fUl or not
Then allow three months for applicant
to make settlement and appear before
The proper land Office and complete his
homestead entry, accompanied BY at
least two Of hi sneighbors. holding SINH
lar certificate, who as witnesses. must
make affidavit that the applicant has
made entry upon the lands allotted to his
number and made some good and sub
stantial improvements, whereupon the ap-
olicant should be allowed to make the
usual homestead fling.
IT, at the expiration of ninety days. al
owing ten DAYS grace. if the applicant
to whom the land was allotted or his
heirs Of he be dead fail to appear at the
and Office 20 complete entry. then officer
IN charge should be instructed to notify
The department at Washington Of ali
such forfeitures and as soon as conven-
ent conduct q second drawing. using the
numbers formerly drawing blanks until
pit the lands have been exhausted.
In case any applicant who has drawn
piece Of land is not satisfied with # n
.5r any other reason, does not think It
profitable TO complete entry and live on
( do not allow him 10 sell OF speculate
With 1t. but let 1t 60 by default and al
ow some one who was unlucky in the
irst drawing have chance to set a
home.
OF course there viii be some that VIII
object 70 this plan, as none viii be per-
nitte5 TO the drawing except ne IS actu-