The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-30
VIII NOT TELL
THE WHOLE TRUTH I
Tcoutinusd from Third Pass-l

missioner Of the General Land ofscs
quote from C0pP's Public Land Laws.
Vol II. page 631. 1890:
c. 7. "Prior OocupdsSos-
Parties scifhis the Oklshozs reSiOH
~ proper 0sskorisv Prior 70 II
O'Clock so0a Of April 22a5. 1859,
Gre not deprived Of fkesT hOweffesd
right On fk0f GocosHt.
Commissioner Stockslager 70 Hon J.
J. ingalls,. United States Senate, April
12th. 1889: The Act Of March 2nd.
1SS9. to which Mr. SOmmers refers. pro-
Tides. as he states. that no one shall be
permitted 10 enter OF acquire any right
to any Of the Oklahoma lands. to Be
disposed OF Hereunder. who violates its
provisions BY entering upon and occupy
ing the sane prior 20 IL O'Clock noon Of
April 22nd. 1889. the date fixed in the
Presidents proclamation OF March BIRD.
1859. for the said lands to become open
70 settlement. The statute makes no
exception 70 this provision. am in
clined to think. however. that when a
person was already within these lands
al the date Of the approval Of the Act.
by proper authority. his presence there
should not be regarded as a violation OF
the provisions Of the Act The primary
jurisdiction 70 act upon applications TO
enter rests with the district land officers
and Mr.. SOmmers may present his sppli-
cation for entry to them. with proper
proof Of his allegations. Should they
refuse TO permit an entry. he may appeal
from their action. which would bring
his application and proofs before this
Office for its adjudication OF the case.
/ think the reasons for and the Ne
cessity Of troops connected with the set
Element Of Oklahoma. sad which is not
the case elsewhere. except under SINH
lar circumstances, win be apparent to-
all who would be convinced. The pro
ceeds from the sale Of said lands to
the United States was held in trust
solely for the benefit OF the Seminole
Nation Of Indians. and turned over to
them as by law provided. Such trust,
however. cut no figure with the DISPOSE
tion OF the lands under the Homestead
Act and the matter was not inflicted
upon the settler.
From and after u O'Clock noon of
April 22nd, 1889. practically every set
tier in Oklahoma became a squatter as
soon as he could reach piece of unoc-
eupied land that suited his fancy, and
after erecting his shack and making
other improvements on the tract. per
fected his entry at the local land Office
within ninety days, as allowed by the
Homestead Law OF the United States.
Thus. practically, nation was born in
a day-a nation Of squatters. If you
please. Was it a mistake? Turn to the
last census report for an answer. AT the
last general election $4,000 Oklahoma
cast 1882 votes. All accomplished in the
short space Of less than twelve years.
/ have long since been convinced that
a great many people in Hawaii do not
want fair homestead law, nor the class
of homesteaders who settled in 0klaho
ma. either. II there was a united effort
TO have a uniform and fair homestead
law enacted for Hawaii. by which the
settler would be required to live on his
homestead for FIVE years to the exclusion
Of home elsewhere and that he could not
get title in any other way, and that an
abandoned entry could be contested by
any qualified entry-man, allowing him 30
DAYS preference right to enter the tract
10 cancelled by reason of his contest. there
would be no neeo of any anxiety about
tire want Of soldiers to shoot squatters off
Inaccessible cliffs The impossible
problems" could be easily solved and the
'.insuperable Obstacles could be easily re-
moved If there was a disposition to do so
on the part of some people in Hawaii
who could assist instead Of offering OBJ
structions 10 any action in the matter of
a definite settlement of the public land
question and allowing this Territory to
be developed as it should be.
Hereby hangs tale. quote from the
Congressional Record. 56th Congress, first
session;
Mr.. Newlands-The gentleman has ref
erence to the crown lands?
Mr.. KNOX, refer to all public lands.
This is the best hope of Hawaii Now,
the great corporations which are there,
which own the great sugar plantations
and great rice fields. l do not believe with
reference to them that any Americans
are going there TO work in the rice fields.
I do not believe that citizens OF the Unit
ed States, the men who have the enter
prise today who 80 10 Alaska. are going
to Hawaii 90 work on a sugar plantation.
I believe the best hope for the Asiatics,
the japanese and the Chinese. is that they
NAV acquire sumcient of their own means
to hny these lands and own small planta-
tions and have families there.
Ye gods Oh for thousand sandlot
Kearneys,
I have always thought il strange how
nearly Mr. Knox of Massachusetts could
calculate or anticgpate the real intention
Of our Hswaiian public land system with
out some assistance from Hawaii. Ii is
true that by study Of the Land Act of
1895 he could reason it out by the rule Of
cause and effect.
t. ]. RYAN,
Mountain View. Hawaii. May %, 1900.