Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-09-22

later was devised and in that the
clerks were sent out from Washing
ton and applicants formed in line and
registered as they came to the booth
the first in line being the first to
register. This was found to be too
expensive and took up too much time
and was later discarded for, the pres
ent system which has been fully de-
scribed in the columns of the Trib
une in previous issues.
Judge Witten laid special embhas-
is on the work of the notaries. He
said that they should see that every
affidavit was properly made out be-
fore it was handed to the applicant
for If there was any defect 1t would
destroy the chance Of the maker to
participate in the division of the lands.
The application must be signed by
the applicant, then given to the no
tary, who will put his official seal on
il and copy the name Of the applicant
in space provided for that purpose
and then instruct him as to mailing
it. There must be no other papers
aside from the affidavit in the en-
velope, no soldiers papers, naturali.
cation papers nor second entry pap
ers, and the envelope used must be
the one furnished by the govern
ment and will have nothing on the
outside but the address Of Judge Wit
ten, which will be Aberdeen, during
the opening.
Mr.. .Witten said that all the Amer
lean citizens demanded was to know
that he is up against a square deal
and then he would go the limit. He
stated that there was certain amount
Of gambling instinct Unborn in the
American people and that was one
thing that made the present method
of dividing the lands SO popular. The
hedges that have been put about
those having to do with the drawing
have been so skillfuNy built that even
that If there were an intent to do
crooked work it would be impossible
for the clerks to accomplish their
design. He makes it a rule to an
nounce before the first envelope is
drawn at any opening that he will al
low any man in the crowd thirty min
utes In which to select his own en-
velope providing that il he failed to
find it in the specified time he will
give up his right should he be sue
cessful in the drawing following.
In speaking OF the notaries and the
plan for allowing only those who are
residents in the county and those who
secured their commissions before July
1 to take oabhs, Mr.. Witten said it
was simply another safeguard being
thrown around the applicant. Those
who simply secure their commissions
for the time during the registration
are apt to be very little versed in the
duties demanded of them and are apt
to cause trouble for an applicant
whom they serve And as to those
out of the county, he said that he
had found that the better class of
notaries would not leave their homes
for the short time they would en-
ployed at a registration, and those
who would leave, were not desira-
BILE class. He showed very plainly
where the association idea is a good
one. In the town where he had re-
Gently closed his work the associa-
ton plan was not used and as a re-
suit the notaries of the city are ar
rayed against each other and a great
deal of hard feeling was engendered.
He suggested that there be four
booths used and that they be open at
all hours of the day and night, ex-
cept from IL O'clock Saturday night
until II o'clock Sunday night. In
his connection he stated that in
some towns the registration booths
were only open from in the morn
ng until in the evening, in order
70 compel the visitors to remain over
hight at least. This acted eA poor
advertisement for the town as it gave
It the name of grating place and
was the cause Of losing lot of good
settlers who would have made their !
homes in that vicinity had they been
treated right while staying there
He cited the experience OF .Bonesteel. |
J. D.. which city allowed a lot Of the
'ougher. element to gain the upper !
hand there duEing the registration, |!
and as d result a carnival Of crimel
was held there including three orI
'our murders and innumerable hold.
Fps and cases of pocket picking, and
Is result the city of Bonesteel to-
lay is dead.
The. opening Is written up in all
he leading magazines Of the coun-
~ aud their circulation extends to