The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-03-17
TO HAVE BIG LAND
SALE IN OCTOBER
General Disposal Of Surplus Lands of
Five Tribes May Take Place
Next October.


present plans of the government are
carried out. 1t will be mecca for
the people of northern and eastern
states who want to get home, and
get close to the clean, vigorous soil
of the great southwest.
The government proposes to have
an opening, 1t will be held next Oc-
tober, if the present plans carry, and
at that time the secretary of the in
terror will endeavor to pull off a sale
of all the surplus lands of the Indians
Of the five civilized tribes and in the
Usage nation who have made applica-
tion to sell
Ever since 1904 when the freedmen
of the Creek nation were permitted
to sell their surplus land, the depart
ment of the interior has been annoy
ed and burdened with a continuous
pressure, coming from the allottees
themselves, as well as from many
other sources, to sell more land. And
they have been selling it under reg
ulations. A large percentage of the
lana has been sold But the sale of
Indian lands through the department
OF the interior has been unsatisfac-
tory all the time. So a new idea is to
be tried.
At the last session Of congress a
law was passed permitting the Osages
to sen their surplus land, 800 acres
for each indian upon the approval
OF the secretary of the interior The
new regulations under which this land
is to be sold have just been promulgat-
ed. Each Usage who wants to sell
his land must make application in a
certain form and the government
agents will pass upon his competency
to handle the proceeds from his land.
If the government thinks he is COM
petent. as most of them are, then he
will be allowed to sell without any
strings whatever on the proceeds. If
he is not competent and the govern
ment agents believe he should sell
some of the land it will be so recon-
mended and the government will re-
tain a supervising authority over the
money he gets for it.
There are nearly three million acres
of land in the Usage nation. 1t is
good land, the most of it, and in ad-
dition it is one of the greatest oil and
gas fields in the world. The sales, of
course, will not disturb the present
oil and gas eases. How much of this
will be put on the market is a prob
lem that only time can solve. But
it is expected there will be a large
part of it,
The plan of sale will be similar to
that of the government selling town
lots, and is a new one in the sale of
farm land 1t is proposed, where the
indian will agree. that the purchaser
of the land shall pay 25 per cent of
the purchase price in cash and the re-
mainder in three equal payments, at
six per cent interest. 1t is proposed
to receive the application Of allottees
who want to sell their land, pass upon
them and then hold them until next
October at which time all of the land
will be offered for sale at once.
1t is proposed to extend the same
plan over the Cherokees, Choctaw,
Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole In
dians. The sale of the land belong
ing to the restricted class of Indians
has not been very satisfactory to the
government of late There are thous-
ands of applications now pending in
the five nations If they are held until
next October there will be several
thousand more applications to sell
land in.
The government has several rea-
sons for adopting this new idea. The
first is that it will place enough land
on the market at one time to attract
bona fde farmers from all over the
country. just as any other land open
ing would. 1t will be at a time when
farmers nave the time to spare to go
to Oklahoma and look at the land
The scneme it is thought will pre-
vent the land falling into the hands of
spectators who double the price
when they offer it for sale, and will
give bona fide settlers who want to
build homes on the land a chance to
get it at what the government deems
a fair price
The government hopes that a great
number Of the land title suits will be
settled by October. which will be en-
couraging to investors who are afraid
to put their money in now.
In addition to the plans of the gov
ernment for the sale of Indian lands.
the state has just passed law where