Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-18
OKLAHOMA BILL,


A BILL
To organize the Territory of Oklahoma,
and for other purposes
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of
America an Congress assembled.
That all that part of the United States in
cluded within the following limits, except
such portions thereof as are hereinafter
expressly exempted from the operations
OF this act, to-wit Bounded on the west
by the State of Texas and the Territory of
New Mexico I; on the north by the State
OF colorado and the State of Kansas; on
the east by the reservation occupied by
the Cherokee tribe of Indians east of the
nlnety-siXth meridian of west longitude
and by the Creek, Seminole and Chicka-
saw reservations and on the south blythe
Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw reserva-
tons, and by the State of Texas, compris-
ing what is known as the Public Land
strip, and all that part of the Indian Ter
rltory not actually occupied by the five
civilized tribes, is created into atemporary
government by the name of the Terri
tory of Oklahoma PrOUided, That moth
ing in this act shall be construed to impair
the rights Of person or property, or to inn
pair any patent to or right of occupancy
of lands now pertaining to the Indians in
said Territory under the laws and treaties
of the United States, executive order, or
otherwise, or to include any territory oc-
cupied by any Indian tribe for which title
has been conveyed by patent or otherwise
from the United States, or to which such
tribe may be entitled by law, executive
order, right of occupancy or treaty, with
out the consent of said tribe, or any terri
tory which by treaty or agreement with
any Indian tribe is not, without the con-
sent of said tribe, to be included within
the territorial limits or Jurisdiction of any
State or Territory but all such territory
shall be excepted out of the boundaries
and constitute no part of the Territory of
Oklahoma until said tribe shall signify its
assent to the President of the United
States to be included in the said Territory
of Oklahoma, except for judicial purposes
as provided herein, or to affect the author
lty of the Government of the United
States to make any regulation or enact
any law respecting such Indians, their
lands, property, or other rights, which it
would have ueen competent to make or
enact if this act had never passed.
Sec. 2. That there shall be a governor,
secretary, legislative assembly, supreme
court, attorney, and marshal for said Ter
ritory, who shall be appointed and selected
under the provisions of title twenty-three,
chapter one; of the Revised Statutes of
the United States, relating to the govern
ment of all the Territories The provis-
ions of said title shall have the same force
and effect in the Territory of Oklahoma,
as in other Territories of the United
States: Provided, That the legislative
assembly and delegate to the House of
Representatives. shall not be elected until
the President shall order: Provided fur
ther, That no person shall be entitled to
10 OF 81 4 I
any office, who has not been bona fide
resident Of said Territory for sixty days
previous to said election A7ld provided
further, That the council in said Territory
shall consist of thirteen members, and the
house of representatives shall consist of
twenty-siX members, which may be in
creased to thirty-nine.
Sec. 3. That the Constitution and all
laws of the United States which are not
locally inapplicable shall have the same
force and effect in said Territory of Okla
homa as elsewhere in the United States
PrOUided, That nothing in this act shall
be construed to interfere with the local
governments of any of the Indian tribes
which may now be provided for by the
laws and treaties of the United States, or
which may exist in conformity thereto:
Ind l0rOuided further, That the supreme
court of the Territory shall have jurisdic-
ton and shall embrace all causes of action
crimes and offenses arising within the
limits of the Territory organized bysthis
act; and all laws heretofore passed grant
ing jurisdiction to United States courts
within the limits of said Territory are
hereby repealed: but cases now pending
shall be prosecuted to their final DISPOSE
ton therein the same as if this act had not
been passed.
Sec. 4. That the section of country lying
between the States of Kansas, Colorado,
and Texas, known as the Public Land
Strip, is hereby declared to be part of the
public domain of the United States, and
shall be open to settlement under the OPP
Grafton of the homestead laws only, except
as otherwise provided in this act Pro
Gided, That the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sections of land in each township
shall be reserved for school purposes.
Sec. 5. That whenever the Creek and
Seminole tribes of Indians shall signify
their assent to the provisions of this sec
ton, in legal manner, to the commission
provided for in this act, and the Presi-
dent has issued his proclamation fixing
the time as provided herein the unoccu-
pied lands coded to the United States by
said tribes under the treaties of June
fourteenth, eighteed hundred and siXty-six
and March twenty-frst, eighteen hum
ment, except the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sections in each township, which
shall be reserved for school purposes, and
shall be disposed of to settlers only, in
quantities not to exceed one hundred and
sixty acres in square FORM to each settler,
nj the price of one dollar and twenty five
cents per acre. All persons who are heads
Of families or over twenty-one years of
age, and who are citizens of the United
States, or have resided in the United States
for two years, and have declared their in
tention to become citizens thereof, shall
be entitled to become actual settlers on
such lands. An accurate account shall be
cept by the Secretary of the Interior of
the money received as proceeds of the sale
of such lands. The commission herein
after created by this act is hereby author
lied to confer with the Creeks and Semi
noles to ascertain whether said Indians
are entitled to any further compensation
than that heretofore paid for said unoccu-
pied lands. If said commission shall find
that further compensation should be paid
said Indians, they may, by negotiations
with said Indians, fix the amount of such
additional 10