Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-27
Everything Possible Left to
Chance In Drawing of the
Rosebud Lands
SITE QUESTION UNSETTLED
Proposition Before General Commits
soner of the General Land Office viii
Not Be Determined Until After the
Drawing Has Communicable Pre-
vent Repetition of Registration.
Special to Times Republican.

Rosebud reservation. perfecting sehem-
es for the prevention of repeating II
registering, considering different meth
DDS for registering, and drawing the
lands of the Devils Lake reservation
the registering for which will com
mence August 8, w. A Richards, gen
eral commissioner of the general land
office, stopped off in Sioux City en-
route for Chamberlain. There the
drawing will commence for Rosebud
lands tomorrow.
The commissioner spent over an hour
with representatives of the press ex-
Sam will carry out his gigantic lot
terry scheme. by which the Rosebud
lands will be disposed of.
Simple System.
The system will be simple. A huge
box. two feet by ten, will be provided,
and into this box the envelopes con-
tanning the names of the persons who
have registered-will be deposited.
Then these envelopes will be stirred
as thoroughly as it is possible to stir
them. On the first day the first FIVE
hundred will be drawn. On the second
thousand will be drawn. and after the
third day the drawing will continue as
rapidly as possible, until every name
has been drawn from the box.
''The plan," said Commissioner Rich
ards, lis to leave everything possible
to chance The slips containing the
sc ;yt. ,iI1
be placed in these envelopes, which will
be placed in the boxes just as these
boxes came from the factory. These
boxes will be numbered. Then the
numbers Will be placed on paper, and
deposited in a hat. The numbers will
be drawn to determine which box of
envelopes will be placed in first. No one
will know what names these boxes
contain or whether they were register
ed at Bonesteel, Yankton, or any other
place.
Then the boys will. after the envel-
opes have been thoroughly mixed draw
lots to see who will draw the first num-
Der. The person holding the first num-
Der will have the first choice of the
Rosebud lands. We will draw every
number, so that every man who has
registered will see that he was there
clear to the finish.
"This will cost the government con-
siderable more money. but it is the
only system to be pursued"
Town Site Unsettled.
Commissioner Richards said the
town site proposition in the reserva-
ton was still up in the air. 1t will
aff thn ra w
ing has commenced.
There are" said the commissioner,
several applications for town site res
eryations, not all of which Will be
needed. have man making reports
on the subject now. OF course. town
site reservations will be made only
where they are needed and no more
lands will be reserved for this purpose
than are absolutely necessary.
The commissioner denied the report
that the state of South Dakota had ia
ken more lands than it was entitled To.
as is claimed by the Sioux tribe who
have protested against the action of
the state.
This claim said the commissioner,
has arisen in this way: Sections six
teen and thirty-six have been reversed
to the state for school purposes. The
law provides that i'll case sixteen and
thirty-six have been given over to the
Indians as Indian allotments, the state
may select other sections. not TO exceed
two in a township, in lieu OF these
lands. Now this does not mean that
the state may not select sections in a
township where sixteen and thirty six
nj ho1 n ha ct hJIf hot
the state shall not select more than
two additional sections in any one
township.
indians are First.
The justice OF this lies in the fact
that the Indians may. on account of
the topography OF the land, have cho-
sen sixteen and thirty-six, thus leav-
ing the state no good lands in the
If the state has lost the
only two good sections in the town
ship, 1t is only just to allow it to select
the sections in lieu of these. that are
just as valuable in some other town
ship"
Governor Richards said he was not
familiar with the title of the st. Elmo
people.
"They undoubtedly have clear
tite." he said. "if they have the permit
OF the secretary of the interior II
their title Is good there will be little
question of rivalry as to their town,
Inasmuch as the st. Elmo people claim
their title is secure, this probably ends
the question of any rival town start
ing up in opposition to the first town
OF the Rosebud"
The system which has been evolved
to prevent the repetition of registration
for the Rosebud lands is elaborate and
effective However, the commissioner
says he has evolved q new system for
the DEVILS Lake lands which will be
NOT nearly SO complicated and just as
effective
The system which will be used in the
Rosebud registration Is this: A COM
plete card index system has been ar
ranged. II John Smith should have
registered in four different places, the
fosr different cards bearing his name
VIII be right 6pgether. Then the COM
issioner can turn to the alphabetical
Z of names that had been made out
the different days OF registration
can then Gee on what day the man
gistered, by what clerk he was reg
etered, and turn directly 10 his papers,
md confront the repeater with them.
There was q good deal OF repeating
IN the Oklahoma registration" said the
comDissiopeB sand suppose there
will be here
Apropos Of the town site applica
a.