The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-08-16
THE GOVERNMENT LOTTERY.

THE GOVERNMENT LOTTERY.
The aftermath of the recent public
land lottery in Oklahoma, promises
to be interesting and instructive, if
not sensational. AS is well-known,
the Government distributed by lot
terry grants of public land, some of
which were very valuable. Some of
the quarter sections, which were
drawn out, were in closeproxmity to
three of the principal town sites re-
served by the Government On the
Observation-Disclosures, Lawton
and Hobart. The officials have not
attempted to put the lucky owner
into possession. The ground is now
occupied by large number ofsquatters
attracted there by the Government
lure of free public lands. These peo-
pie have sunk wells and begun con-
struction of houses and comported
themselves like genuine owners of the
land to which they have no legal title.
This land had been awarded to a
man by the name ofWoods, the hold
er of the first number drawn, but it
has neglected to put him in posses
sion of the property to which he is
entitled. Should he be compelled to
go to Court, long drawn legal pro-
ceedings may eat up all the value of
the land to which the Government
had supposed togive him actual title.
These town lots-small pieces of
ground upon which residence may
be built-in the newly opened terri
tory are selling readily at from $50
to $3.50 each, SO great is the pressure
of population caused by the undue
influx of disappointed applicants for
free land. Those who shall sell out
early may profit by the furry; but
those who-like the lucky Mr.. Woods
desire to hold their 16O acres for a
further advance will be confronted at
once with the squatter problem, for
which the Government lottery scheme
offers no solution. The promise of
chance to get free homestead in
effect has resulted in attracting to
Oklahoma about 100, 900 people who
could not possibly gain any material
advantage, and who have simply
contributed railroad fares to- the
Golfers of the transportation lines in
that quarter. The necessity for
registration at one point within the
territory has operated to bring upon
the newly opened reservations veri.
table grasshopper cloud ofhumanity
helpless, desperate, and in many in
stances entirely ignorant of the hard
conditions of life in the semi-arid
West. 1t is this disappointed multi
tude that has squatted upon pre-
ferred town lots at Lawton and at
Anadarko, and hatpromises now to
give the new owners of the land and
the Federal authorities all sorts of
trouble in the final adjustment of
realty values and ownership.
1t is apparent that the Govern
ment's invitations to participate
in land lotteries of this sort are ac-
cepted by too many needy men and
too many spectators on the ground
to be of any definite public service.
The new lands should be given to
homesteaders-farmers-for cultiva-
ton, not turned over by indirection
to cattle ranchers or town lot BOOM
ers. If there must be drawings the
registration should be on such a
broad scale and at so many points
that no necessity would exist for a
journey in advance to the scene of
distribution. Even though it should
be true, as the Government officials
insist, that the lottery scheme is the
best and fairest method for appor-
tioning homestead lands, it is never
theless equallytrue that the gathering
in the far West of many thousands of
people who must necessarily be ex-
cluded from any participation in the
benefits ola drawing is foolish official
ism and cruelty to animals.
Five minutes telephoning over q
Long Distance Telephone viii often save |
. days travelling