Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-08-06
CLOSE OF THE
LAND DRAWINGS
Registration has Closed and Drawing
VIII Begin Next Monday Morn
ing, August .

Registration for the great land
drawings in the three reservations
in Montana, Idaho and Washington,
closed at midnight last night 1t
will not be known just how may have
registered for several days yet, but
lit thought the estimate made by
Judge Whitten, that 100000 persons
would register for the three reserva-
tons is none too large. The rush
has been something terrific. Those
who registered for the three reserva-
are too conservative and no one who
has not actually engaged in the rush
can imagine how crazy people are
for land an the terrible earnestness
shown by many.
One striking feature is the num-
Der of women and a remarkable
feature is the ability shown by them
in taking care of themselves. When
the electric trains started for Spo-
kane or Occur d'Alene, there was a
fearful rush cf people to take the
cars, and the jam was something
awful. Women mixed with the men
in the bowling mob and many of them
succeeded in fighting their way to
the cars and getting on board. Wo-
men went through windows, over
gates and into doors at the end of
the vestibules, climbing up over the
bumpers of the cars and getting in
without steps. Every train that pull
ed out from the stations at either end
of the electric road left more disap-
pointed people who could not get
on than it carried away from the
station. These would wait for the
next train which left. Is minutes
later and som etimes man or wo-
man would be crowded away from
half a dozen trains before he or she
would be able to get on. Big, burly
policemen stood upon the steps of
the cars and tried to keep some sem
less. They were soon brushed aside
in the wild rush to get aboard and
when once they were pushed from
the handle bars on the side of the
car, they became part of the howl
ing pushing but generally good-na-
tured mob, and were powerless to
preserve order.
That a large per cent. of those who
registered will draw nothing is GER
tain There are less than 10000
tracts of land to be drawn, and more
than 100000 persons to draw them.
That leaves 80 applicants for each
tract of land. Fully half of the land
is worthless, or nearly so, and that
reduces the chances to about one in
sixty, taking the average of the three
reservations. Flathead reservation,
in Montana, is much the largest and
the registration there was the light
est, so that the chances of getting
land there are much better than in
either of the others. An estimate of
the chances of drawing a tract of
land is made by one of the officials
in charge He places the chances for
piece of good land in the Spokane
| reservation at about one in 1000;
lin the Occur d Alene reservation his
estimate is one in 100; for the Flat
/ head reservation, he estimates the
chances at one in thirty.
Many persons registered who will
probably never return even if they
draw we'll toward the top of the list.
/ The craze to take a chance" seems
to rule many of those who registered
/ and it is doubtful If they would go
and live on the land if they got it.
President Bryan, of Washington
State College, illustrates this by a
good story, which he credits to the
late Patrick Henry Winston. Presi-
dent Bryan said:
"A great many of the people who
! registered for the land remind me
of the dog which chases the train. |
vas travelling with Patrick Henry
Winston once when dog chased the
train and a number of persons COM
mented on it and wondered why the
dog chased tho train. Mr.. Winston
said: That question does not in
terest me as much as to know what
he would do with it If he caught it. 4"
/ u. L. Ettinger, of Colfax, ex-re-
gent of Washington State College,
was in Pullman Wednesday. Mr. Et-
] tinoer VI as accnmna MED hN q sief or