New-York tribune., 1906-11-25

Frisco Railroad officials, whose roads arc the
only ones approaching this region. This COM
putation does not take into consideration several
thousand more persons from adjoining territory
who have visited It IN wagons.
Every Indian child of the Comanches, Kfowas
and Sepan Apeches born since 1900 is by law
TO receive an allotment of 100 acres of this land.
There are approximately five hundred of these
youngsters. who have had fine farms picked out
for them by their Indian parents The Indians
have had preferential rights in this selection,
As there are some three thousand quarter sec
tions or farms in the Big Pasture" there Will
be twenty-five hundred 160-acre squares left
for allotment to white settlers. and If the land
brings what fair minded appraisers believe 1t
Will. there will be four million dollars to the
credit OF these Indian tribes in the United States
Treasury bearing per cent interest. The Ind
ians not permitted TO spend the principal.
but the interest money will be paid them regu-
iarly, pro rata, which will be in the neighbour
hood Of $50 annually for each individual. Where
an Indian has wife or two and several minor
children. each drawing $50 the annual income
is not Insignificant 1t should not be forgotten
either that the family possess farms Of 100
acres each. which are usually let OUT on leases
for money and crops, providing a total annuity
OF several thousand dollars year.
The terms under which the major portion Of
the Big Pasture" is to be sold settlers are
extremely reasonable Any citizen of the United
States can bid on as many of the quarter seo-
ton farms he cares TO, but he must describe
them by township, section and quarter section.
But the bidder will get provided his bid is the
highest, only one farm of 1G0 acres. No land
corporations or combines are TO be allowed TO
segregate the land into large holdings at least
for the present. When individual owners secure
clear title from the government they can of
course. make any disposition OF their land they
see ht
One-afth the price of the highest bid for a
quarter section must be deposited with the Sec
retary OF the Interior. whether one bids on one
quarter section or the twenty-five hundred. The
payments are in five equal instalnents includ-
ing the first one. with per cent interest so
that the burden, even at SO an acre. is light on
the new settler. In fact it Is said that farmers
who have had to pay as high $50 and $50 an
acre for Oklahoma lands. with only one and two
years time. have been able easily to pay off
all their Indebtedness in the time limit and
have living margin OF profit left
The sealed bids must all be filed in the depart
ment before December 49, though it is said that
II the postmark indicates that a bid was mailed
before that date 1t will be honored
There is considerable diversity In the land o4
the Big Pasture" immense expanses of level
prairie land, cut here and there with sluggish
streams, and gently rolling hills along the Red
River and somewhat to the westward. The
main stream passing diagonally through the
land is known as the Deep Red. and into it flow
dozens OF small tributary streams and rivulets
On the southern boundary there is the wide
Red River, whose waters run turbulently and
silt filed toward the sea- It is ell good land
say the farmers who know, and some of the bot
tom lands are as fine any in the state There
are plenty of good springs, and well water can
be had for the digging within twenty feet of
the surface
When these plain farmers say good land they
mean good land-the kind Of land that does not
need special treatment, special ploughing or fer
tilizng TO get maximum crop.
When st is said that 900 families of success
ful bidders viii settle on this last Indian agri-
cultural Mecca this figure only includes those
who will actually take up farms. Besides this
number there must be added another 1000 or
15oO families. who will form the nucleus of the
six town centres TO be.
Six towns have been surveyed and laid out In
this territory by the government agents at ia
vorable points The town sites unlike the agri-
cultural lands. will be sold under the hammer TO
the highest bidder.
Several thousand persons are already congre-
gated IN Lawton, town which has grown to
1000 population in four years. near the north
ern border Of the big Pasture awaiting the
sale OF lots in towns they have selected for
future residence. These town auctions will be
the only spectacular feature Of the opening All
OF 1t promises TO be picturesque enough. how
ever. for already several hundred persons who