The Portland daily press., 1888-10-18
UNCLE SAM AND THE RED SKINS.
Secretary Villas Makes Another Bid
for the Sioux Reservation
Which Sitting Bull and His Friends
Have Taken Into Consideration.
The cherokees Landed as ProprIe-
tors Without a Perfect Title.

WASHINGTON, Oct 17.-SecTetary Villas
today again met the Sioux Indian chiefs at
the interior department. He laid before
them the conclusions reached by the Presi-
dent and himself upon the proposition Of the
Indians as expressed In the nrst conference
upon the bill TO relinquish a portion Of their
reservation. BY the terms 1t was agreed
that for the lands belonging to the Indians,
entered for homestead settlements within
three years from date when the act shall
have taken effect, 81 per acre shall be paid
For all lands thus entered two years there
after. 70 cents per acre. and for all such
lands entered after five years 80 cents per
acre. After five years it Is stipulated that
Congress may provide any disposition Of
lands remaining unsOld which shall be
deemed proper. provided that not less than
~ cents per acre Is placed 10 the credit Of
the lndians.l IL is also granted that, Instead Of
million dollars mentioned In the act. two
inliilons llll mons pe appropriated. From this sum.
six months after the bin becomes a law. $50
shall be paid each Indian. This payment
does not affeet the right Of the Indian TO the
allotment OF $40 provided for in the bill. The
funds provided by the act shall be divided
by the Secretary Of the Interior into six sep
arate funds, corresponding with the reserva-
tIOns, TO be established, the division 10 be
regulated according TO the number OF Indi-
ans receiving rati0ns at said reservations.
The Santee Sioux Indians are excluded from
the provisions Of the act. An adult Indian
upon the making Of the allotment Of land,
as provided, shall have span Of American
mares with double harness instead Of a
yoke OF oxen If he choose, besides the one
milch COW, agricultural implements, tools,
seeds and money provided in the act
The Secretary explained these cOndi ti0ns
at length and said he wanted the Indians to
make up their minds before they left the city
whether they would accept the terms or not.
: Ihe ratlhcation OF all the adult Indians has
TO be obtained In any event. The Indians
said they would let the Secretary know
when they had reached q decision. IL Is ex-
pected they will call upon the Secretary to-
morrow. In case the Indians accept tho
new terms, they must be enacted as a law by
Congress. With the exception Of receiving
$l.25 per acre and the payment Of the entire
amount in lump, the Indians by these mod
ifcations obtain what they asked for.
the Cherokee Strip.
WASHINGTON. Oct 17.-When the Okla
homa bill was before the House the other
day. Mr.. Dunn said he understood that the
Secretary Of the Interior had notified Chief
Mayes Of the Cherokee Nation to make no
more contracts or leases Of the tract known
as the Cherokee Strip, adding that IL any
were made they would not be respected.
Nevertheless, the Cherokees have been busi-
ly occupied with endeayoring to lease the
strip. and would have done so long ago could
they have procured a satisfactory offer
This tract has been at the basis of Cher0-
kee politics for the last two years and has al
most driven the tribe to civil war. 10 con-
tains 6,O22,OOO acres, excluding the Public
Land strip or No Mans Land living to tho
west OF II, which contains 3,672, $40 more.
This latter tract Is also claimed by the Che
Iokees, and nye OF SIX years ago they leased
Its ownership are not shared by the govern
ment The Cherokee Strip, OF Outlet proper,
lies south Of Konsas and was conveyed 20
the tribe about half century ago, but In
1866 1t was reconveyed to the government
under stipulation that only friendly In
dians should be settled upon it. A part pay
ment was made 10 the Indians, but the re-
malnder OF the purchase money has never
been appropriated. Accordingly the Che
rokees 60 on leasing the strip. and have not
until now been interfered with, probably
because the whole matter of purchase and
payment was left in a condition 50 unsatis-
factory. should the final payment be made
the land would still remain subject to use for
Indians only, unless the extinction Of this
condition should be procured.
In the election year ago the party In
power, the Nationals, under Chief Bushy-
head, took ground 10 favor Of renewing the
ACdoC W tuC OucIOkct Otflp Live STOCK As
soeiation, which then held It at rental OF
100000 per annum The opposition, or
Downing party, declared that these lessees
had made a large profit by sub-letting, and
that IL thrown open to the highest bidder
the lease might yield from 100000 TO $780,
600 year. The NatiOnalsts nominated
Bunch, but the Downing candidate, Mayes,
was elected by small majority. A long de-
lay TO make known the result nearly brought
on bloOdshed at Tablequah, and the United
States authorities were compelled 10 inter-
fere. Since then the Live Stock Association
has been trying to get its lease renewed. IL
offered $4,000, then $4,000, then $4,000;
and when even the last sum was refused,
profeSsed to abandon all hope, broke of
negotiations, and somewhat OstentatiOusly
began inquiries about grazing lands In Mexi-
co.
Possibly this step may have troubled some
OF the Cher0kees. At all events, Ii Is an
nounced that Mr.. Ross, treasurer Of the >
Cherokee Nation. has taken it upon himself
prohibition, to the Live Stock Association
Tor three months, at the rate Of $4,000, un-
Til the matter can be settled. This does not
suit Chief Mayes, who has ordered the as
soclation to leave the land forthwith. The
plain duty OF Congress would seem TO be to
disentange the legislation and cOmpacts
touching lands In this region, putting 1t all
under unquestoned law and good govern
ment The status Of No Mans Land, as
well as Of the Cherokee Strip and OF Okla
homa, should be determined promptly and
finally.