The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-08-28
LAND GRADERS
CAN'T HOLD LANDS
interior Department Will Force
All the Corrupt Companies
to Quit.
O~kLAHoMA's
Fifteen Million Acres of Land in In,
dian Territory Arc to Be Sold and
Options Held by Companies
Will Be Worthless.

Washington, Aug. 25.-Horace Speed
of Oklahoma will begin early next week
the prosecution OF alleged frauds
against the government by contractors
in the KioWa-Comanche country. In
structions from the federal govern
ment are to prosecute vigorously n
save no offenders. 1t is alleged that
contractors in nearly all public i'm
provements have practiced outrageous
,lmpositions on the government. In the
bridges it is alleged hat mud has been
used where lumber should have been,
and that none Of the requirements have
been complied with. In public build
,ings much of the work has been on
idemned. AS all of these improvements
have been paid for out of government
funds, the offending contractors will
confront a serious proposition. Speed
us a prosecutor Of reputation, and has
never been known to compromise With
wrong doing.
Can't Have the Land.
Simultaneous with this announcement
is another that none of the land COM
Danies which government officials have
organized in the Indian territory will
be permitted to buy the lands on which
they nave. obtained options. Robbed of
its verbiage, the statement can be made
that the interior department will try to
drive the land grabber out Of the bus
mess. This can be done by extending
the regulations regarding all other al
loted Indian lands to h five civilized
tribes. Some weeks ago a brief dis
patch to the Star announced that the
sale of lands in the Creek nation would
be according to the new regulations for
other allotted Indian lands. Briefly the
who wants to dispose of his land to file
his request with the Indian agent, to-
gether with a description of his prop
erty. A government appraiser will
place an estimated value on the land,
and sealed bids will be advertised. The
highest bidder will take the property
provided his bid is equal to. or in Elk
cess OF the appraiSement.
Millions to Be Sold.
In round numbers there are 20. 900. 600
acres Of land in the Indian Territory.
OF this. approximately ~one-fourth, or
1000, 600 acres, Is unalienable, leaving
5,O0O.O 600 acres of land, or a domain al
most as large as Indiana, to be old
within the next few years. It is i'm
Possible to place an estimate upon the
value of this land. Much Of it is as
good as the best land In Missouri or
Illinois. 1t will be worth easily on the
market, if anything like a fair value
could be obtained in such a colossal
land deal, from $40 to $40 an acre. Much
or the land is OF small value. but the
average would be higher than the av-
erage value Of land in Oklahoma.
W years 6 it was known that
three million acres in the Greek nation
would soon be ready for white pur-
chasers and option had already been
secured by land companies In Musko-
gee and other places of three-fourths Of
the entire million acres. 1t was stated
at the interior department today hat
the land companies had options on the
best Creek land for from 50. SO to 81
acre, and that 81 was the upset
price. Much Of the Creek land would
be cheap at S25 an acre.
Big Prifit to Grabbers.
If the and companies were permitted
TO carry out their scheme, estimating
the number Of acres to be purchased
at 1000, 900, there would be a profit of
from u to $l5 an acre, or a total of
from $40, oOo, 900 to $50, 900, 900 in the
Creek nation alone.
In the ChoctaW and Chickasaw ma
tlon there are II, 900, 900 acres of land.
IN the Cherokee nation, 5000, 900, and in
the Seminole nation $50, 900. The dispo-
sit1on of this land, with justice to the
!flolan, and fairness to the settlers. will
pc the most colossal work which the
interior department will be called upon
TO 40 IN the next decade, and it is con-
i'oiiete euat disclosures nave
pesIl maze SO early in the proceedings.
Publicity will go a long way towards
preventing frauds, The plan which the
secretary has devised, OF inviting
sealed plds, and operating through an
agent, will necessitate a p%rodigious
amount Of work where so many thou
sands OF transactions are involved. It
may even retard the disposition Of the
land. put 1t will at least keep the land
grapoers from acquiring millions of
acfes OF valuable al at a nominal