The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-03-27
0be pailD Aromortite.
TIE KiowA.coMANeHE PASTURE

The klOWR-COMPNSHG FNo 49,
The St Louis Republic hopes that
The objections upon which the pres
ident has given notice Of his inten
tipn TO veto the bill for opening the
Kiowa Comanche pasture to nome
stead entry may be removed We'll
they will not be. as the Republic may
.,ndcrsiand II n will take survey
cr the conditions existing between the
urcsidcnt and Burke Bennett and asso.
cI,tes who have the land leased OF
cmrsc. II would be hard in Burke to
he compelled TO move. and having Sc
eured the friendship Of the president
no In axcd until the end OF Mr. Roose-
yeli's term Then. II there Is par'
ole OF virtue or intelligence about
Rooscycit's successor, the pasture VIII
hc opened to settlement and Burke
viii have to move.
The Republic probably knows thAl
the Kiowa Comanchc pasture AFFAIR
Mas been a nasty one from the begin
ming. When the bill providing Tor tho
oponing Of the reservation to settle
msnt was passed, II provided mat
sSs OO0 acres be set aside Tor pa''ur
are for the Kiowa. Comanche ana
.n,cbo Indlans-not 10 be- leased a3
n source OF revenue fW the Indians
hut aimply 20 Craze their own stock
upon. II provided that this pasture
.houid be set apart from the lands
aiasaed as grazing lands. Secretary
tInchcock. who has no more business
nj the head of the Interior department
shan Andy Hamilton would have on
the supremc bench. had control oi
ahe work Of the segregation OF these
lands.
Instead of locating this pasture IN
the rough. rocky and strictly grazing
lands Of the Wichita mountains. as
ahe author OF the bill intended II
WAS carved out Of the fertile Red river
,ailcy. which contained the very
richest lands Of the reservation. These
lands are purely agricultural and II the
law had been carried out they wooll
have been settled by homcsteadoFS
long ago. But the law was eyadea
through the influence Of the cattle.
men and the rough. sterile region oi
the wichita mountains was opened 10
settlement
n was the smoothcst piece OF dip
loma,ic work that the cowmen nave
,ycr bcen able to boast The strings
wero pulled In a mastcrly manner ana
,,apenccs were set In motion which
reached Hitchcock. The catuemen
saved a glorious pJauro and the
homcstcadcrS were ouchrcd out oi az
pretty piece Of country as the west
zfrurds.
since that time. Mr. Burnett ana his
associntcs have acquired @ warm per
nonai acquaintance with the president
and the president sticks to his friends
even TO the point of protecting them
IN privileges which In morals on JUS.
dice they are not entitled TO-
The Post does not blame MT Bur.
nett Il was a matter Of great import
aneo FOR him and his friends to hold
that pasture. lie secured his influence
leEiiimately. but the thing Is the pup
Hc officials ought never 10 have y''
cd To tie influences. II was for them
n shameful breach Of trust, and 1t vii
remain a disgrace to all responsible
for IL until another administration
comes in and permits congress "a
open that land to homestead entry
The Republic is mistaken in suppos
tng that the bill the president threat
,ens TO veto has only technical defects
The trouble Is that the president.
personal friends are on the land an,
want TO stay there, and they are goInl
ao stay there until MIR. Roosevelt,
Successor takes the oath OF onlce.-
Houston Post.