53D CONGRESS, 2D SESSION S. 2038. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. MAY 21, 1894. Mr. COCKRELL (by request) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Public Lands. A BILL For the relief of Oklahoma settlers. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That every person who made a homestead entry in Oklahoma 4 Territory under the President's proclamation of March twenty- 5 third, eighteen hundred and eighty-nine, and who has ever 6 since resided upon and improved the same, and who now so 7 resides thereon, shall be entitled to a patent to said home- 8 stead upon making the proof usually required in homestead 9 cases, unless it shall be made to appear by a preponderance 10 of evidence that he willfully entered upon and occupied said 11 homestead prior to noon of April twenty-second, eighteen 12 hundred and eighty-nine, with the intent to violate the law 13 and the proclamation. STATEMENT OF THE CASE. On the 23rd day of March 1889. Mr. Harrison, who was then President of the United States, issued his Proclamation, announcing, that the lands of what is now known, as Oklahoma proper, would be thrown open to public settlement, at 12 O'clock M. on the 22nd day of the April. Following. Being in pursuit of homes, for ourselves, and families, we in common with thousands, of other citizens, in order to be within reach, when the time should arrive, moved to, the line of the Terri- tory, and went into Camp, at different points, as close as possible but outside of the line. While so in Camp near the line, and after the proclamation had been issued, and before the arrival of the day for the opening, we in common, with hundreds of others, (in fact), we may say, every one, made daily incursions over the Territory, looking at the Country, and gathering what information we could, of it; from observation. After the arrival of the day and hour designated for the opening, we starting from the lines, joined the great throng, in the race for a homestead, and finding such quarter section as suited us proceded [sic] to establish our residences thereon, and after filing the usual and proper homestead papers - in the proper offices entered at once upon the task of building our homes, and improving our farms, and have been on them, ever since. (Now Five Years). Another class of these Citizens were such as were already within the Territory, and in many cases, had been there for some years be- fore. They were either employees of the Government or of the Santee Fee R. R. CO., mostly however, the former, very few of the latter. Serving as Post Masters- or Deputy U. S. Marshals, some of them under contract to get wood for the use of the Military Posts others under -1- [full document and transcription at link]