Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-17
PLAYING 4 DESPERATE CANE.

A1 80
The Indian land lease ring. which has
had It's own way at the winnebago res
ervation ever since the appointment Of
the ~redoubtable Charles p. Mathewson
as agent, is making a desperate effort
to retain its grip on the reservation
lands. II is an open secret that the six
or seven land spectators who consti-
tute the close corporation that operates
in reservation lands have done a land
office business at an enormous profit
BY adrolt manipulation. they managed
to secure control Of leases Of over 10000
acres Of Indian lands and sub-leased
them at an advance Of from 80 to 0
per cent to actual farmers. Three Of
the leading SPECTATORS, who have man.
aged to acquire leases for ove 10000
acres, are as follows: F. B. Hutchens,
who brought an unsavory reputation
from Sioux City over into Nebraska,
held leases last year for $500 acres;
@. @. Maryott, brother of the Indian
trader at the Omaha reservation, held
leases for 1916 acres; the O'Connor
brothers, Indian traders at Winnebago,
held leases for 5,041 acres. Four or
Ave Of their associates in land lease
speculation have control Of 10000 more
acres.
With ample means at its disposal, the
land lease ring now proposes to divide
half a million dollars by the purchase of
the allotment lands that are to be sold
under regulations that are eminently
satisfactory to the ring. These regula-
lions, held as strictly confidential by
the Indian bureau, were in the hands of
the coparceners almost before the print
er's ink was dry. and they have lost no
time in proceeding to forestall outside
competitors.
Under the regulations, the price of
the land must be deposited in a bank at
the time the sale IL made. While this
will not seriously embarrass the men,
bers of the ring. II will keep out the
men who would buy and settle the land
II they were permitted to make partial
payments, as was done in the conduct
of former Indian land sales. This In
dian heir land properly belongs to the
government, and, If sold through an i'm
partial commissioner, industrious farm
ers, willing to permanently locate and
cultivate the land, would purchase the
land instead Of the spectators, who
will either resell at an enormous profit
or lease the lands to tenant farmers at a
valuation largely in excess Of the pur-
chase price.
The partial payment plan and the
plan to dislocate Agent Mathewson from
his job does not meet with the approval
of the land syndicate. Its members
boldly assert that they do not propose
editor. They make nc secret of 1t that
they have enlisted the backing of in
1uential men in public offices and are
sure of United States Attorney Sum-
mers, who played into their hands
through the manipulation of the federal
grand jury that enabled them to
frighten Indians and white men In and
about the reservation who were dis
posed to make complaint. or who had
signed afidavits in support of the
charges that had been preferred against
the Winnebago trader and agent. But
we shall see what we shall see.
The departments at Washington are
proverbially slow, but ever the reddest
Of red tape cannot shut out the search
light of publicity. Right will eventually
prevail and the greed of the men who
have enriched themselves by fleeing
and swindling the Indians will be eff
fectually curbed in the no distant
future.