The Washington herald., 1909-04-09

before long announcing that 200. 900
acres OF lard in the Flathead Indian res
ervation. Montana. viii be opened TO
entry and settlement. probably next fall.
This will be done under a special act OF
Congress. A commission appointed by
the President is now engaged in inspect
ing. classifying. and appraising all Of
the lands to be disposed OF. There will
be five classes OF land available for dis
tributicn. including agricultural, timber.
mineral. and grazing. These lands may
be obtained under the provisions of the
homestead. mineral. and town site laws
OF the United States. Most OF the land
IS agricultural and can be obtained in
tracts Of 1s0 acres each by the payment
OF an almost nominal price
AS there are over $1,000. 900 people In
this country who would Ike to get some
thing for nothing. a big demand for the
Flathead lands IS expected. The method
Of distribution is to be prescribed by the
President. 1t will be in the nature OF
a lottery drawing Uncle Sam does not
tolerate private lotteries. but periodically
he operates one himself. as will be the
case az the Flathead opening. This is
not a lottery in its obnoxious sense, how
ever. The government IS paid nothing
for the privilege OF taking a chance in
the game The only expense involved
for participants VIII be the cost of trans
portation to the Office Of registration and
a notary's fee. The function OF the no
tary will be 10 take afiidavits that the
applicants for homesteads really wish 10
live on the farms they hope TO obtain
from the government
It is hoped by officials Of the general
land Office that II will be found practi-
cable 10 provide facilities for registering
applications for the Flathead lands in
the leading cities Of the country. That
would be the ideal way to throw open
valuable Indian lands 70 the whole peo-
pie. Then the Jewish immigrant at New
York would have an equal chance with
the cowboy of the Western prairie TO
get a farm practically for nothing The
expense TO the government and other dlf-
ficulties involved IN this plan would be
great. and IL may not be adopted for
that reason. II 1t is not. the plan fol-
lowed at the opening OF the Rosebud In
dian reservation, South Dakota. last year.
may be adopted. In such case applicants
for lands viii have TO register at various
towns where there are land Offices in the
vicinity OF the Flathead reservation.
Even under such circumstances a great
crowd Of eager hone-seekers is expect
ed. Men and women will pay railroad
fare for hundreds Of miles with the hope
OF getting a Took in at the Flathead
opening At the Rosebud opening about
115.000 applications were filed and only
5000 names were drawn. The last thou
sand Of these were entitled to benefit
from the drawing only as possible substi-
tutes for some OF the 5000 and odd per
sons whose names were drawn first. in
case they failed TO comply with the law
and consequently forfeited their lands
Fulhllment of the law includes actual
residence on the land. the making of
Improvements. and partial payments peri
odically.
The Flathead reservation should furnish
homes for 1000 American home-builders.
and It Is likely that from ten to twenty
times that number will file applications.
The crucial point OF the whole affair will
occur when the drawing takes place At
the Rosebud opening that important func-
ton was performed by two little girls
and two little boys One Of the girls was
little Dema Rose, the real Rose OF the
Rosebud" as she was called. daughter
Of Mayor Rose. Of Dallas, s. Oak, a
town situated on the outskirts OF the
reservation. AS these children danced
around in the pile Of homestead applica-
tions, kicking them up with their tiny
feet, the emotions OF the crowd of appu-
cants present grew alternately hot and
cold. The strain was great, as the draw
ing lasted for several days. The names
OF the winners were announced by mega
phone and on typewritten lists.
Those whose names are drawn first
have right 10 first choice OF the lands
thrown open. and the first choice usually
falls upOl lands in the vicinity OF the
town sites laid out by the government.
At these town sites small building lots
are sold 10 persons who prefer town life
20 farming. The applicants for Indian
lands include young bachelors. and girls.
married men. seekers for health and
wealth, denizens Of Eastern cities and
Western farmers. and many persons who.
having made a failure Of life, are anx-
ious TO begin all over again in a new
country. The losers are a detected lot at
first but they generally take their medi-
cine like men and go back 70 their homes
determined TO accept the next chance Of
making good that IS offered by benevo-
lent government
gress has authorized during the past
year or two the opening OF a number Of
other Indian reservations to settlement
preliminary work in connection with
which is now baing carried on in the
Interior Department The total area Of
these reservations that are TO be opened
Is over 10000 acres, excluding the
Kiowa, Comanche. and Apache reserva-
tfons, Oklahoma. the areas Of which are
not known. During the current year, the
Interior Department estimates that be-
sides the Flathead reservation, there will
be thrown open to settlement at least
four or FIVE Indian reservations contain
ing 672OoO acres. Other openings will oc-
cur IN 1910.
In each case. Il rs expected that the
system Of drawing from the applications
received will be followed It Is probable
that never again VIII there occur a big
land rush such as happened a number Of
years ago when the Territory Of Okla
homa was set apart from the old In
dian Territory. and was occupied by a
horde OF hungry land seekers In that
case and IN the case Of certain Indian
reservations in the past, huge crowds
gathered along the borders OF the tract
to be opened and at a certain hour on
a certain day. and at a given signal
started In a race for the best lands. The
results Of the old system were not salts
factory to any but the few persons who
got the most valuable lands. There were
free-for-all fights over the question OF
priority OF claims leading to endless litI-
cation and other complications.
The opening OF an Indian reservation
20 settlement does not mean. as may be
populary supposed. that the Indians
thereon are deprived Of their lands On
fha contrary the first cfeD ~ the da