Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-08-17

settlers thers will not be a homestead left
In five years. The rush to the Kiowa reser-
walton will stimulate settlement through
out this entire section of country. Fifty
thousand people have signihed their de-
sire for the Indian land. Allowing thai
half of these applications are speculative.
less than half of the genuine homeseekers
appropriated land I'm Oklahoma which Is
az good as some of that Witch will be
taken on the Indian reserve. The latter
has had the advantage OF advertising and
OF having been unattainable In the past.
On the reservation the Indians have
naturally secured the best land-that Is,
the bottom and along the flowing streams.
Many thousand acres have been reserved
by the government for Indian stock graz
ing, forest reserves and such purposes.
The result of this system Is that the set
tier now seeking a farm finds himself
about In the same position as a man en-
tering a long occupied country. With the
exception of a few speculative possibilities
In the shape OF town sites and choice To-
~calities between Indian selections he must
take what is left. The man who Is wise
will prefer good land where It can be irri-
gated than poor land where the rainfall is
alleged to be adequate. This Is especially
true of the western half, where the an
nual rainfall Is only about 2S inches-an
amount which means q heavy percentage
OF short crops.
No Premium on Honesty.
When the homesteader first took up land
In Oklahoma he agreed with the govern
ment that Sl.25 per acre should be the
price OF the land. The Industrious and
thrifty worked hard, saved their money
and paid the price. Others put Off the
evil day. and the politicians came TO the
,k.,,,, -rl,l A.. .A-NnllA1 Nfrnn hnnanQtt
bill,'' which enabled the population OF
this Indebtedness. This was worth about
500, 900, 900 to the m Of Oklahoma
who had delayed payment. Those VINO
had paid got no relief.
The Kiowa reservation Is opened with
the same provision that each homesteader
shall pay S1.25 per acre for his land. but
1t is now being freely promised by the
politician In that section that as soon as
congress meets the free homes bill" VIII
be so extended in it's operations as 20
throw the burden of the purchase OF the
lands from the Indians upon the national
treasury. There will not be so much m
justice in this case as there was In the
original workings OF the measure, as no
one who takes up land on the Kiowa re-
serve will make any effort TO pay for the
same until all hope OF government relief
Is abandoned.
These are but details, however, OF the
great lesson In land legislation, which has
been taught by the operations or the
homestead law In oklahoma. A great
state has been built from It's foundation
to completion In a brief ten years by the
simple process OF giving the land only 20
the man who was willing to earn the same
by actual residence. Had the desert land
law, for instance, prevailed In Oklahoma
from the time of the opening to settle
ment. thousands OF acres Of LAND o
contributing their quota TO the n
wheat yield OF 25,00O,00 bushels would be
Enclosed I'm some cattleman's fence, where
twenty acres OF land are allow as only
sufficient for the support OF a single COW,
Oklahoma, when admitted to the union,
Will possess the proud distinction OF being
the only homestead state" and there car
be no other, for the lesson has only beer
learned as the last commonwealth was IN
the final stage OF it's ripening.