The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-13
TOWN LOT FUND
DISTRIBUTION
Secretary of Interior Has Fix
ed Upon Plans,
GIVES AMOUNTS REALIZED
Nearly Half a Million Was Sc
cured at LaWton

Guthrie, o. T., March ia Washing
ton dispatch announces that Mr.. Hitch
cock, secretary of the interior. has sent
TO the house a statement showing the
plans of the interior department for the
expenditure CT the town lot fund" on
public improvements in Caddo Kiowa
and Comancshe counties, Oklahoma The
expenditure of this fund has been the
subject of controversy between the in
terror department and the residents of
those counties for the last year.
The fund, which was realized from the
sac OF town lots when the Kiowa country
vas opened 70 settlement, according to Il
bill passed by the last congress. must be
expended on public improvements on the
new counties, and last year improvements
were started. Owing to Irregularities in
Connection with the contracts Secretary
Hitchcock suspended payments and the
improvements stopped. 1t has never been
resumed, although several delegations
have come 70 Washington and urged Mr..
Hitchcock to permit a continuance OF the
work
Recently Representative stephens got
through resolution directing Secretary
Hitchcock to submit a statement to the
house showing how much money had
been derived from the sale of lots, and
how the interior department intended to
eApeRa it. According TO the secretary's
statement the funds realized by the sale
of lots were as follows:
Al Lawton $414S45; at Hobart. s132,-
733; at Anada rko. s1SS 1856. a total of S734,-
03S. The amounts that remain for i'm
provements are given as follows:
In Caddo county, for a courthouse at
Anadarko. s29,957; for bridges roads. and
ether improvements, s51.553 construction
OF water works and school houses. $59,G64.
Kiowa county. court house at Hobart,
s29.9d; for bridges and roads, sl7.724;
water works, school houses and other i'm
provements. $40 96S.
Ccmanche county, court house at Law
ton. 100000; bridges and roads, S1S5,3S7;
water works. school houses and other i'm
pcovements, $l49,500.
This money" said the secretary, will
be- distributed under acts of congress
from time to time as payments become
II - itttcSSdi " itdItIhlls
investigate as to the character of the
Improvements needed and then to prepare
plans; the difference between the amount
on hand and the amount received for the
sale OF the lots has been expended in
paying he expenses for the maintenance
of the various county governments up to
Januaiy /, 1903, and on various improve
mcnts.'
Mr.. Hitchcock. In his statement. shows
the amounts received from the sale of
town lots in the Indian Territory. which
Information was called for in the Ste
phens resolution. These amounts are Civ
en- as follows:
Greeks, S332, 1853: Chickasaws, 49,, 1872;
Choctaws. s45l,1S5: Cherokees. s25,559
The amounts realized from railroad /
rights of way, taxes on railroads, ana :
telephones are as follows: 50 ed
Chcctaws. So, 23S: Chickasaws. s2O763; /
Creeks. sl7.22o; Seminoles. s2.252; Chero- |
KEGS. $S2, ST..
These amounts were received by the !
tribes from June 2S, 1898. the date of the !
pass ge of the Curtis act. up 10 January
IF this year. In regard to the enroll
ment of the Mississippi Choctaws. the /
secretary says that 1876 persons have /
been identified as Mississippi Choctaws
entitled to share in the lands of the Choo-
taw and Chickasaw nations.