Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-12

THE ONLY PRACTICAL SYSTEM.
Some of the South Dakota newspa-
pers published in places not desig-
mated as points of registry for the
drawing of lands on the Standing
Rock and Cheyenne river reserva-
lions, complaining that the system of
land drawings is lottery and ought
not to be encouraged by the United
States government. 1t is true that
by vivid stretch of the imagination
the land drawing system might be
likened to lottery. 1t is about the
same kind of lottery that any other
undertaking is in this world of ours,
and it is about the only practicable
way the government has of dispos-
ing of the land to actual settlers. In
replying to the criticisms made, the
Aberdeen News sensibly says: a.
The News prints, elsewhere in this
issue, clipping from the Ipswich Tri-
bune, criticising the United States for
setting bad example by disposing of
it's public lands by means Of the lot
terry system. The Huron Huronite, a
short time ago, printed a similar
criticism. Neither paper proposes a
better way for disposing of the lands,
though the Huronite did state that
when the great Sioux reservation was
thrown open to settlement, it was
just thrown open, without any fuss
and feathers, and the settlers picked
their own homesteads without resort
ing to the demoralizing lottery.
The papers which criticise the
present methods forget that condi-
lions have changed. Uncle Sam no
longer has farm for every man.
The population has grown trench
dously since the reservations in Ok
lahoma were opened to settlement
twenty years ago, and the scenes Of
bloodshed, robbery and injustice
which took place then convinced
every thinking person that some
other and more peaceful method
must be devised. So the lottery
scheme was tried. 1t has worked
better at each succeeding reservation
opening as Judge Witten, the man in
charge, devised better schemes for
handling the crowds and seeing that
no injustice was done homeseekars.
The present registration plans are
well-nigh perfect, and it is probable
that no better method of disposing Of
public lands will ever be devised.
The government could not justly
dispose of the lands to the highest
bidder. That would not give the :'oor
man a fair show, and wouli be q
violation of the spirit of the land
laws of the country. 1t can nc longer
permit the crowds to rush for the
lands at the firing Of shot, as vas
done in the first Oklahoma opening,
for that would give the man with the
best automobile, or the most up-to-
date airship, an overwhelming adj
vantage. 1t could not simply throw
the reservation open to settlement
and let everybody grab, as the Hur-
onite suggested, for that would re-
suit in strife greater than that whici.
took place at the first Oklahoma
opening. The critics of Urcle Sans
lottery, therefore, should either de-
wise some better plan, or hold their
peace.
The News apprehends that 10 ap-
plicant for land in the Cheyenne riv-
er and Standing Rock reserva tions
will have cause to complain of the
treatment he will have received at
the hands of the government, or from.
the registration towns. Judge Wit
ten and his assistants are absolutely
fair-minded, just and patient. They
have to answer many apparently
foolish questions in the course of a
day, but they do it patiently, uncoE-
plainingly, and good-naturedly. The
registration and drawing is absolute
ly a square deal,' in every way, and
the United States government or the
American people back of IL, need not
feel that when the applicants pay
their rs cents for chance at the
land that they are really engaging
in a nefarious gambling game.