The Falls City tribune., 1909-02-26

The people Of salem bad Il,
more 10 do with raising the ques.
ton of erroneous survey of the
Half Breed reservation than the
eminent Nebraska historian
himself. His letter To the Fri
bune here follows;
ITO The Tribune: - The de-
complished writer Of the series
Of historical articles which have
been published in the Tribune
lately, fell into some errors
about the survey OF the half
breed tract. | worked out tie
facts from official records pretty
thoroughly for the History .ol
Nebraska. and they are ST
forth # some length ON page 4
and $50, OF volume J..
The writer al the articles n
question assumes that the first
surveyors Of #1~3- naturally
and properly followed the wind
ing course of the Nemahas IN
running the lines to points ten
miles from the mouth of those
streams. The treaty OF Prairie
du Chen which established tie
half breed tract or reservation,
specifically directed that the ten
miles in question should be run
direct from the points Of begin
ming, and it does not seem likely
that the surveyors disregarded
that plain provision OF the trea-
ty, and there was, therefore,
some other reason, for assuming
that the original tract was not
extended far enough west.
"When Judge Fenner Fergu-
son, delegate to congress from
the territory of Nebraska, advo
Gated the passage of the bill
providing for the re. adoption of
the original western boundary,
he explained that the Missouri
river had cut into the eastern
boundary Il considerable dis
lance since the first survey of
ISIS; and the presumption that
the first boundary was not eX-
tended far enough west was
based upon measurements made
in 1856, when the agitation for
4 new survey began. Of course.
as the bed of the river was far
Their west in 1s16 than it was in
1888, the next boundary line ten
miles beyond it would lie west
ward Of the original Mccoy line.
"There remains, however, the
interesting question suggested
by your correspondents very
entertaining story, whether the
agitation about the western line
was started by the people of
Salem a. 4 step toward getting
the county seat away from Ar
cher, which was, by the new sur
vey, enclosed in the reservation,
and therefore could not remain
the capital of the county. 1t is
rather odd to find the federal
government taking the initiative
toward adding to an Indian re-
servation from the public do
main without some selfish white
mans impulse. The almost uni
yersal rule in such cases has
been subtraction rather than
addition. Elmer :. Dundy went
to Washington To lobby for the
passage of Fergu sons bill,
probably on a retainer by the
settlers, real or prospective, on
the disputed strip.
ALBERT WATkINS.1
That Judge Dundy was cor
rect in his statement to me
touching the claim made that
the Mccoy survey was errone-
Gus, is made tolerably certain
by the memorial to Congress
passed by the territorial legis-
lature shortly after the abroga-
ton of the Mccoy survey, and
the making of another, asking
the congress to relieve the sett-
lers, who had been surveyed in
to the Half Breed tract, if with.
in its constitutional power to
do so. | here set forth that
memorial IN erteRS0.
~"pREAMBLE AND JOINT
RESOLUTION
For the relief of certain citizens
of Richardson County.
WHEREAS, \ portion of the
inhabitants of Richardson coun-
ty in this Territory, have in
good faith, settled upon; and
,.a1, Ill -, .1v.,,D4- L....