Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-10
THE OKLAHOMA BILL.
Provisions Of the Springer Bill as Passed
by the House-The Soldier Amend
ment as Agreed Upon.

by the House-The Soldier Amend
nent as Agreed Upon.
We have had numerous inquiries for
the Springer bill as it passed the lower
house of congress since it passage, but
being unable to procure the full text of
the bill the subjoined synopsis will give
the reader comprehensive idea of its
provisions. The will doubtless be
amended somewhat by the senate,
though it is not believed that it will DO
materially changed:
The bill, as it passed the house, is in
many Of its feature unlike that reported
last session by Chairman Springer, of the
committee on territories. 1t contains
sixteen sections, the first one defining
the boundaries of the new territory to
as Oklahoma, and comprise all of the
civilized tribes, the Cherokees, Choctaws,
Creeks, Seminoles and Chickasaws.
This covers about half the entire area of
the Indian territory besides No
Man's-Land, and includes Oklahoma
proper, Kiowa, Comanche and
Apache reservations, the Cheyenne and
|
of the Wichitas, the Pottawatomies, the
Kickapoos, the Sacs and Foxes, the
Pawnees, the Otoes and Missouris, the
Osages, the Kaws and the Poncas, the
old NeZ Perces reservation and the Cher
okee strip or outlet now occupied as a
cattle grazing ground by the Cherokee
Strip Live Stock association. No Mans
Land which lies in the extreme north
west, is thirty four and one-balf miles
wide and 1853 miles long. The Indian
| Territory proper included in the bill
averages about 1870 miles in length and
about the same number of miles in
width. The only portions of the pro-
posed territory now unoccupied by the
Indians are No Mans Land, Oklahoma
proper and the Cherokee strip. The
Greeks and Seminoles claim the land in
Oklahoma and the Cherokees allege own
ership of the Cherokee strip. 1t is there
fore provided that commission created
be the act. to consist of five persons, shall
open negotiations with these Indians to
determine whether they are entitled to
further compensation than the hereto
fore paid for their unOccupied lands.
The compensation to be thus determined
shall not exceed $1.22 per acre. And as
to the rest of land now occupied by the
various tribes as reservations the consent
OF the tribes shall be obtained before
occupation by settlers. If that event
lands shall be allotted to the Indians in
severalty under the existing law, and the
surplus remaining shall be thrown open
to settlement. The allowance for these
lands also not to exceed S1.25 per acre,
the price to be fixed by the president,
and the money accruing therefrom is TO
be placed to the credit of the tribe to
which the lands now belong. The
lands are to be entered under
the provision of the homestead
act, each individual entry being
limited to 1850 acres. Each person set
Ting upon lands shall be required to Sc
lect the same in square form as near as
practicable and to maintain continuous
residence of three years. By an amend
ment adopted today each settler is re-
quired to plow not less than forty acres
of land before obtaining title, in addi-
ton to making other improvements,
under the homestead law. Payments at
the rate of s1.25 per acre or less are to
be made Ia four equal installments, the
first within SIX months from the time of
entry, the second at the end of one year,
the third in two years and the fourth at
the end of three years. Considerable
discussion has taken place over the sol
der amendment" to the bill, but it was
finally agreed upon. As it passed
the house it allows honorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors in
the late civil war to make homes in
the new territory under the existing
homestead laws. their present rights in
no wise being impaired OF abridged. An |
other important amendment which |
was adopted is to the effect that |
no provision of this act shall be construed !
to authorize an extingulshment of the |
Indian title to any of the lands liz said |
Indian territory which by virtue of an |
existing law that would inure to the |
benefit of any railroad corporation, or the |
title to which would vest in any such |
corporation or the extlngulshment of the |
Indian title thereto, or on the same be
coming part of the public lands of the |
United States, but all such lands shall be |
held by said Indians as tribes or IN sew
crafty, and shall be held by the United |
States IN trust for the benefit of the In
dams interested therein, IN pursuance
of such agreement with such
tribes in said territory as shall
be consistent with this provision of
lnlS act, out SuCn laA0S small not
become part of the public lands of the
United States or inure 20 the benefit or
vest in any such railroad corporation or
any assignee or mortgage thereof. Any
act hereafter done by any officer or agent
of the United States or treaty contracted
or agreement entered into by any such
officer or agent with any Indian tribe in
conflict with the foregoing provision,
which shall validate or give effect to
any such grant or to any assignment, or
mortgage of any such lands, shall be
null and void. An amendment was also
adopted FORGETTING the grant of the At
lantic & Pacific Railroad company. The
original town site proposition submitted
by Mr.. Syringe and his associate
was stricken out. and IN Its stead a new
section was adopted providing that the
secretary Of the interior shall reserve
lands for existing or prospective town
sites, the area of each not to exceed go
acres. In this connection the act says:
NO application to enter any land shall
be allowed until approved BY the secre-
tary of the interior, Of any tract of land.
first, where any exterior line Of the land
is within one-haH mile of the line Of any
railroad which is constructed. or the Line