New-York tribune., 1879-01-21
ABIGAIL OBJECTION TO A LAND GRAB
rEr WEO>G TIE RAILROADS AEE SLEKING TO PIT
UrON TIE INDIANS OF INDIAN TERRITORY
Placed IN 4 CLEARER LIGHT.

rnr WRONG THE RAILROADS ARE SLEKlNG TO rCr
UPON THE INDIANS OF INDIAN TERRITORY
PLACED IN 4 CLFARFR LIGHT.
IBY TELEGRAPH The TRIBUNE.l
WAsnINGroN, Jan. 20-lt is subject Of com
pla;nt hy thcYcIrescutatiyes Of the civilized tribes
in Tie Indian Territory, who are here opposing tie
ce.,rts to impose a Territorial government upon
them. aud deprive thcm of their property rights,
that the white people do not seem to understand
,hor their pohtcal status or the title by which
they hold their lands.
As TO the inst they call attention TO the fact that
il has been repeatedly affirmed hv treaty. by
act OF Congress and by judicial decisions, hat these
Indians possess the right of local self-goveGnmcnt,
and that Their tribal constitutions, so far as they
are not obnoxious to the Constitution of the United
States are to be respected and held invIolaie As
T., tl,c seroud tIcy desire that il should be under
stood that these tribes hold their lands by patent
in fee simple from the United States. and not by
virtue of a simple treaty provision such as IN so
many cases prOyed q broken reed to other tribes
winch have depended on it. Thus the patent under
which the CheIOkces hold Their lands, which bears
tine SIGNATURE of President Van Buren, and the date
of December 81 l s3S, after defining the boundaries
and otherwise describing the lands patented 10
that tribe in consideration of oiher lands ceded to
the United states continues in these terms:
Therefore IN execution of the agreements and stipnh
tnus contained III said several tredtlcS The thncd
safes have given aud granted ana by hese pics, W 90
,,v, and Grant unto the SAID Cherokee Nation the TWO
rarts OF land surveyed ana EtttlHDcIoIc us'Ibt"
and m hold the same together with an the lghis, pIiV
l.rgcs aud appureuahceS thereuno belonging 10 inc
i Cherokee NatiOn forever, subject, however 10 the
yt nf the United States to permit other tribes OF red
men TO get salt on the salt plain on the western prre
rrferrcd TO the second article of The treaty or the
oSth of December, 1888, which salt PLAIN las been
crtaiued TO within tho limits prescribed foI Tue out
t egrrrd 70 DC granted by sad article; aLd subject,
ul.n 10 al the other rights reserved 10 thc CntCd Siie-
49, .d hy the articles hereinbtf0Tc rcCltcd, to The tA
or,,J and subject also. 10 the conditions provided
49, ,hc A ct of Congress OF the 2SIh OF May $780, aud
.r, rondltiou is that the lands hereby granted shall
evrri ia Tncd states If the SAID CherOkecs become
extinct OF abandon The same
The rights reserved to the United States, and not
snecifed IN that part of the patent quoted, re-
fcr1ed to the establishment Of agencies, military
uos;s and post roads. The last clause was to pre-
vent the alienation of the lands to any other party
than the United states without the approval oi the
latter. The United States retained Il TeYeIsIonary
interest which ls more than the ordinary night
of escheat possessed by the Government In the case
of an individual who dies without heirs and lntes-
tate only in this case the right of escheat depends
on the extinction of the nation instead Of the death
of an individual The Cherokees have already, with
the consent of the United States sold n portion Of
the lands incndcd i'll this patent which were found
their RI ght 10 dispose of them and to give valid