Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-01
RACED FOR HAUGH7
Rush OF Boomers to Fl. Hall
Reservation Was Unau-
thorized.
Those Who Participated Have
Nothing to Show for Their
Energy.
The Boomer and Sooner Have
Seen Their Day - Brute
Force Ruled.

/ Washington, July How easily the
public may be gulled, even in so wide
awake country as ours, is shown
by the readiness with which multituGes
| of people who read the news of the
rush of lands on the border of the
Fort Hall Indian reservation on Tues
| day last jumped to the conclusion that
Secretary Hitchcock was once more
submitting the titles to newly opened
lands TO the old arbitrament of the
boomers race. The rush was unau
it will only have their heat and weari-
ness for their pains.
The boomer ard the sooner have seen
their day and gone their way under
the present secretary of the interior.
He has no more fancy for such scenes
as used TO be witnessed on the edge of
"a newly opened tract than he would
have for mob rule in the streets of ST
Louis: nor does he seen any necessity
for them. Ia the teeth of carpng
criticism from persons who strained
ii
the camel OF substance without wink
ing he instituted in the kiowa and
Conanche land opening of last sum
mer the practice of drawing lots for
choice of claims The youngest and
oldest, the richest and poorest, the
strongest and weakest had hen an
equal chance at the best of the prop
critics. 1t was not a race between swift.
horses. or q struggle between insiders
who had picked out their plots in adj
vance and newcomers who knew not
in which direction to go. Brute force
was at Il discount in the settlement OF
disputed claims.
For good order and the decorous con-
duct OF business the Kiowa opening
would hove compared favorably With a
cattle show IN any good-sized village
on the frontier. Considering that the
United States government was one of
the parties to the proceedings, this dig
nlf1ed program was eminently fitting.
In the Kiowa case, the assistant COM
missioner of the general land office gave
his personal attention to the survey and
subdivision of the opened tract. and
located the county seats, cut them into
town lots and in short. had the whole
new country plated out so that nobody
with a compass and tapeline and ordin-
AIRY gumption could go very far astray
in finding whatever spot he was look
ing for. He then superintendent the reg
istration of the 164.416 applicants for
homeSteadS. Only about 1900 could
he accommodated with lands, but the
remaining $4,000 and more accepted
the result without raising a single
scandal. The expense of the entire pro-
ceeding amounted to less than $4,000,
and the entire fees, with only this small
deduction to be made from them, turned
Il clean and clear balance of S112,000
into the United States treasury neat
contrast with the old methods OF riot,
charges and determinations,
and heavy cost.
1t may have been very wrong. as
some good people tried to make out. for
the secretary to follow extensive bibi-
cal precedent and draw lots instead of
leaving a multitude of half-craZed men
and women to scramble and fight over
their prizes: but it is safe to say that
until the law itself stops him, he will
continue to open lands on the basis of
last summers eminently successful eX-
pertinent.