The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-20
PEOPLE EXCITED.
John Ashcroft, of Hill City,
Sounds a Warning.
Says There's Uprising Against
the Supreme Court.
ABOUT SCHOOL LANDS.
Claims That Land Sharks Have
Been Sustained.
Meaningless Kansas Farmers
No End of Trouble.
ABOUT SCHOOL LANDS.


John Ashcroft, of Hill city, Kan. 1ne
Of the leading Populists of his section
Of the state. is in Topeka for few Gays,
and says that western Kansas is about
to rise up in revolt against the Repub-
lican nominees for the supreme court,
on account of the recent school land de-
cision handed down by the court.
I have been all over my judicial dis
trict, circulating a petition for the car
didacy of Charles W. Smith. our Re
publican district judge, who will have
the endorsement of all parties, and I
believe I know pretty we'll the senti-
ment of the people in Rocks, Graham,
Sheridan, Thomas and Sherman coul--
ties They are going to vote against
the Republican nominees for positions
on the supreme bench. They regard
that school land decision as most iniqui-
tous and unjust. It is going to cost
thousands OF awestern Kansas people
money Farmers win either have 70
give up their farms, or pay over hun
dreds of dollars apiece to the land
sharks who are going around buying up
tue qult claim deeds of the old settlers.
1t is regular hold up and the people
/ OF western Kansas hold the Republican
supreme court justices responsible.
The news OF this decision and its fa-
reaching effect is only beginning to
reach the farmers in western Kansas
1t is q movement which will grow
stronger every day now until election
Here in the eastern part of the stale
you viii hear nothing about 1t because
your school lands are not affected, but
it is very live issue out with US"
The decision to which Mr.. Ashcroft
refers was handed down some months
ago. It simply provided that the laws
relating to the settlement of school
lands must be strictly construed ard
that unless the sheriffs of the various
counties served the ejectment papers On
former owners in the manner provided
by law, the former owners still have IL
tie to the land. The law is found II
Sec. 1856 of the general statutes which
says:
1.-The notice above provided for shall
be served by the sheriff of the county
by delivering copy thereof to such
purchaser if found in the county, also
to all persons in possession of such
land. and if such purchaser can not be
found and no person is in possession Of
said land, then by posting the same UP
the county clerk.
The trouble came because the
sheriffs were not particular enough to
obey this law strictly. There were hun
Kansas school land, bought up before
the boon" at from 50 to "a per acre
which the purchasers could not hold or
continue payment on when hard times
came on. Ihey deserted their claims,
and the legal notices of ejectment and
forfeiture were never served on them
as required by law. The supreme
court holds that this failure constitutes
a cloud on the title of people who
came in after the boom. and bought
land al S1.25 per acre.
This situation has enabled land
sharks" to nrowl around and find the
original settlers on the land. and Sc
cure from them quit claim deed to
the land. The land shark then pro-
ceeds to hold up" the settler now on
the land who has supposed that he had
a good title.
Mr.. Ashcroft says in speaking of
political conditions in his section of
the state:
Horace Keefer by the Populists, for
the office of governor, is going to cost
the Republicans enough votes to elect
Harris. believe that nearly all of the
old line PoDulists who will vote for
Keefer would have voted for Hoch if
we had not nominated a ticket. I be-
lieve that the Populist party may poll
as hieh as so, 900 votes in the election
and that is bound to cut some figure in
the result. The interest in the fight
seems to center in the supreme court
justices and the offices of railroad COM
missioner.