The Sunday globe., 1901-08-04

hotels, boarding houses and restaur.
ants?
This is what was forced upon the cit
liens of Ell Reno-a crowd Of some l15,-
600 people True, these strangers were
compelled to foot the bill Here are
the figures:
Number registering at El Reno, 1895
Number registering at Lawton, SO,69l
Total number registering at
Lawton, or Ft. Sill and El
Reno .............s. ,,lot iOUO
to say nothing of the sightseers on the
ground, with sure thing men and
fal1irs of all kinds.
This is not all; only a part Of the
hardships forced upon this vast crowd.
The Kansas City newspapers
give but vague idea Of the
crowded condition of that city, and the
trains coming in and leaving, particu-
larly over the Chicago Rock Island
Railroad, the only railroad running di-
rectly from Chicago, ILL.,, through Kan
sas City Mo, to the lands in question
Said c. r. & p. r. r. had continually
in Washington a representative during
the preparation of plans Of opening
these new lands to settlement, and was
in close communication with the said
Judge Van Devanter all the while, on
some other business we presume
Selah!
Out of this 10000 people, at least
100000 must have passed over this c.
r. !. & p. r. r.
Presuming the average distance to
have been from Kansas City, Mo, Of
% g., 10 which is
5000: each return trip, 5000; max
ing the enormous sum OF S2,OOVOUV
and over filched out OF an unsus-
pecting public, and put into the
pockets of a great railroad company
by officials of this Government, to say
nothing about the hardships imposed.
Of these we will allow the people to
speak for themselves, coupled with
what newspapers have all ready pub
lished
Now, let us look back and see If this
same railroad company appears in
any other business transaction with
any of the Departments regarding the
opening Of these lands. It is reported
one of it's officials secured the contract
to survey the said Kiowa Comanche
Reservation for the snug sum or $3O,-
900. This same man, having kept in
close touch with the Department dur
ing the preparation Of the plans for
opening the said lands TO settlement,
Where were the Government corps Of
paid surveyors? Would they not work
in harmony with the railroad com
pany, Mr. Secretary.
On the 10th of the present month
registering for chances to draw homes
was commenced at El Reno and TT.
Sill (Lawton), the latter place 2S
miles fro Rush Springs, a station
on the Rock Island Railroad, which
point must be reached by homeseekers
in the best manner possible, walking
being good. The price charged was 50
for the round trip. All food and pro
visions had to be transported by wagon
from the c. r. |. r. to Ft. Sill for
these 10000 strangers registering at
Ft. Sill and LaWton What have these
10000 people to say about the hard
ships forced upon them in the inter
est of the railroad company? What
has Judge Van Devanter to say about
the workings of his plans and forcing
these hardships upon an unsuspectlng
people? In whose interests was the
Assistant Attorney-General OF the
Land Office working-in the homestead
settlers of the United States or the
railroad company?
To repeat what transpired on the
cars i'm and around the depot in Kan
sas City, where officers were powerless
to protect the weak and helpless wom-
en- and children, what can one expect
transpired at the village Of Rush
Springs, Of less than 500 people, at the
small place of Ft. Sill, with no accom-
modation for strangers, 2S miles from
the railroad, with over 10000 strange
people camped in the vicinity?
Now. Mr.. Van DevanteT, here are some
other facts for you, sir to explain;
Why did you force 10000 people out
upon the plains with no shelter insult
fcient water, and this only secured
from streams of a polluted character,
and forced to pay tribute to an eX'
railroad contractor for running res
taurant tents?
Oar great Secretary Of the Interior,
who was not known 100 miles from St.
Louis until Mr.. Mckinley selected him
for an office, which he has permitted
to be trailed i'm the midland nasty
mud at that, even if it is pay-dirt-
has stood by with arms folded and per-
mitted this fleeing by the Rock Is
land Railway corporation of $4,000 in
nocent homestead seekers.
How are all but the $1,000 who can
only draw homesteads to return to the
homes they abandoned? Thousands
will never return, and If other thou
sands survive the haTdships and the
unsanitary conditions Of their sur
roundings, they will be impoverished
for life and drag out miserable exist
ences along the dreary route from the
promised land they shall never pos
sess to the very suburbs Of Kansas
City. Those who are able will pay the
Rock Island Railroad cash for return
tickets. and when the total amount Of
the steal is figured up the "divy' will
take place, and a very handsome one
1t will be-S2, 100000 and more among
the few schemng heads in the enter
prise,
It does seem impossible for the pub.
lie to believe that such n stupendOus
piece Of folly could emanate from a
department of an intelligent govern.
ment, with hundreds Of idle clerks
ready at hand to attend to the filing
of claims of over 100000 people from
all sections Of the country, forced to
be present and on the ground in this
distant Territory with not even
gamblers chance Of one in ten that
they would draw a homestead. Why,
the simple plan, the honest, straight.
forward plan, endorsed and recon.
mended by honest, experienced men, of
filing claims through the Land Office Of
the Interior Department was not
adopted, the officials Of the Rock Is
land Railway and the Assistant Attor-