Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-16
THE CHEROKEE STRIP.
The Government Will Not Allow Any
Interference With Its Rights.

Recent dispatches from the Indian territory
state that the Cherokee cattle company have
offered to lease the land in the Cherokee strip
from the Indians for term of years, paying a
large rental. 1t is further stated that the
company will probably buy the land from
the Indians. A commission has recently
been appointed by the President to negotiate
with the Indians for the purchase of this land
by the government, with the intention OF
throwing it open to public settlement.
Officials of the Interior department say
that the offers alleged to have
been made by the cattle company are evidently
intended to embarrass the commission in its
work. They claim that both the cattle COM
pany and the more intelligent Indians are per-
fectly aware of
THE RIGHT OF THE UNITED STATES
to these lands, and they know that the Indians
can neither sell their lands nor lease them with
out the consent of the government. The gov
ernment has heretofore ignored the existence
Of leases made by the Indians Of these lands to
the cattle company, but in the event that
the government desired to assert its rights il
could move some Of the tribes Of friendly In
dians now living in the Indian territory upon
the lands and the cattle company would
have no remedy to enforce their lease. In
the event that no agreement of sale can
be made with the Indians the government has
the right, under existing treaties, to make this
disposition of the land and the land vacated by
the removal Of the Indian tribes to the strip
can be thrown open to settlement
THE MEREsT NONSENSE
The department officials say that all this talk
about buying or leasing the land and thus balk-
ing the government is the merest nonsense,
and is known to be such by the cattle company.
The Indians do not hold the complete title to
the lands and they can do nothing with it ex-
cept with the consent of the government
The idea that private citizens can come in
and by negotiating with the Indians secure this
land for themselves could only be entertained,
it is asserted, by those either ignorant of the
law or having some ulterior purpose to serve
WHAT SECRETARY NOBLE SAYS
Secretary Noble wher asked to-day about the
matter said that he did not care to discuss il.
He would say, however, that the government
would recognize no competitor for these or anv
other lands in which it had an interest and
that the rights of the United States would be
asserted and maintained.
The President Denies the Blaine Story.
The President at Deer Park yesterday posi-
tiveiy denied the story that Mr.. Blaine is to re-
tire from the cabinet.
The New Commissioner of Railroads.
Horace A. Taylor Of Wisconsin, the new COM
missioner OF railroads, who was appointed in
place OF Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, arrived in
the city last evening. To-day he called on the
Secretary of the Interior and received his COM
mission. He was then sworn in, and in COM
pany with Mr.. Dawson, the chief clerk of the
Interior department, he went to the pension
building, where the offices Of the railroad COM
mission are located and was introduced to the
employees.
Mr.. Taylor is man of medium height, with
clean shaven face and a pleasant address. He
toio STAR reporter this morning that he had
been in the newspaper business for thirty
years.