The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1901-06-28
NO FREE HOMES. i"
Those Securing Indian Land Must
Pay SIPS an Acre for It.
The Government Has Decided on the
Lottery PIan-Every Applicant to
Have Absolutely Equal Show
Two RegfstratiOn Omces.

Washington, June 2A-What has
heretofore been a mere matter of
plausible speculation relative to the
method to be adopted in opening the
Indian lands in Oklahoma to settle
ment is. now the fixed decision of the
department The old horse race viii
be done away with, and in its place
will be tried a suitable method Of
letting the public select the lands by
a drawing The interior department
officials viii increase their efforts to
have actual entries begin August 6.
The presidents proclamation viii be
Issued about July 1, fixing the opening
day, August 6. Tt viii give full in
structions to homeseekers. Two sep
arate land offices will be located, one
at FL Reno in the Wichita reservation,
which will embrace 3,122 tracts Of 16O
acres each, exclusive of lands reserved
for the Indians. The other Office will
be near Fort Sill in the KiOwa reser-
walton, with 1881 tracts of 16O acres
each. Therefore, the total homestead
claims to be taken viii be 13,473. The
department estimates that $4,000 ap-
plicants will appear and the ajOr-
ity of them must meet with appoint
ment. Great care has been taken to
secure a fair and impartial distribu-
ton of these lands.
None of these lands can be had as
f'free homes They must be paid for
by all claimants at the rate of S1.25
an acre when final proof is submitted.
Before August there will be a period
of several weeks for registration, spec
fled in the proclamation, and in that
time every applicant will be required
to show that he is qualified to make
entry. If proof is satisfactory, the ap-
plicant will be given a certificate that
he is entitled to enter the drawings.
The certificate is not transferable, and
to prevent transfers each applicant
registered will be photographed. Ev-
cry applicant must register by per-
sonaI appearance either at Ell Reno or
Fort Sill, excepting honOrably dis
charged union soldiers, who may reg
lister by attorney. But no attorney
can register for more than one soldier.
The applicants viii be permitted to
freely travel over and become familiar
with the lands to be opened, so as to
qualify thep to intelligently and adj
visedly NAL a selection of land at
the opening The proclamation viii
prescribe what persons may make Sc
lections on each day after the opening,
as, for instance: On the first day
those who hold numbers from I to 300,
inclusive: on the second day those
who hold numbers from 300 to 600, in
elusive. and so on until all the lands
have been selected. The one who draws
the number 1000 viii know that his
right of selection must be exercised on
the tenth day, and that it is not neces-
sary for him to be present at the open
ing until then.
This plan viii remove every incen-
tive for crOwding or bartering for
places in line at both the registration
and opening. When the opening begins
the person holding the smallest num-
Der drawn will have all the lands in
eluded in the opening from which to
make the selection: and the persons
holding number 5000 Will have all the
hands to select from which have not
been selected by those holding prior
numbers.