Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-25

This is not a lottery in its obnoxious
sense. however The government Is
paid nothing for the privilege of taking
a chance in the game. The only expense
involved for participants will be the
cost of transportation to the office OF
registration and notary's Zee. Inc
function of the notary will be to take
affidavits that the applicants for home
steads really wish to live on the farms
they hope to obtain from the govern
ment.
IT is hoped by officials of the general
land office that 1t will be found prac-
ticable to provide facilities for regis
tering applications for the Flathead
lands in the leading cities of the coun-
try That would be the ideal way TO
throw open valuable Indian lands TO
the whole people. Then the Jewish i'm
migrant at New York would have an
equal chance with the cowboy or the
western prairie to get farm prac-
tjcal1y for nothing. The expense to
the government and other difnculties IN
volved in this plan would be great. ana
II may not be adopted for that reason.
IF IL is not, the plan followed at the
onening of the Rosebud Indian reserva-
ton. South Dakota, last year may be
adopted. In such case applicants Tor
lands will have to register at various
towns where there are land ofnces In
the vicinity of the Flathead reserVa-
ton.
Even under such circumstances
great crowd of eager home seekers Is
expected. Nine and women VIII pay
railroad fare for hundreds OF miles
with the hope of getting Took IN
at the Flathead opening. At the Rose
bud opening $4,000 applications were
filed and only 5000 names were Drawn.
The last thousand of these were en-
titled to benefit from the drawing only
as possible substitutes for some oI
the five thousand odd persons whose
names were drawn first, in case they
failed to comply with the law and con-
sequently forfeited their lands Full
f1llment OF the law includes actual resi-
dence on the land, the making OF I'M
provements and partial payments peri
odically.
The Flathead reservation should fur
nish homes for 10000 American home
builders, and it is likely that from ten
to twenty times that number VIII nile
applications. The crucial point OF the
whole affair will occur when the draw
ing takes place. At the Rosebud open
ing that important function was per-
formed by two little girls and two
little boys. One of the girls was little
Dema Rose, 1.-THE real Rose of the
Rosebud" as she was called, daughter
OF Mayor 1lOS6 VI OdlkdS' oOuli 1eAhS
ia, town situated on the outskirts or
the reservation. AS these children
danced around in the pile of home
stead applications, kicking them up
with their tiny feet, the emotions of the
crowd of applicants present grey al
ternately hot and cold. The strain
was great, as the drawing lasted for
several days. The names of the WIN
ners were announced by megaphone
and on typewriter lists.
Those whose names are drawn first
have a right to first choice of the lands
thrown open. and the first choice usu-
ally falls upon lands in the vicinity of
the town sites laid out by the gov
eminent. At these town sites small
building lots are sold to persons who
prefer town life to farming. The APP
plicants for Indian lands include young
bachelors and girls, married men,
seekers for health and wealth, deni-
zens of eastern cities and western
farmers, and many persons who, hav-
ing made failure of life, are anxious
to begin all over again in a new coun-
try. The losers are a detected lot at
first, but they generally take their
medicine like men and go back to their
homes determined to accept the next