Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-01-09
COMMISSIONERS. REPORT.

Report of the Cherokee Commission Com
corning the Collapsed Negotiations.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Dec. 31.-The
Cherokee Commissioners report to
Congress on Cherokee affairs is about
complete. It is an interesting docu-
ment The report says that the Com
mission was created by the act of Con-
gress approved March 2, 1889, by which
Oklahoma was opened to settlement.
They were empowered to negotiate for
the purchase of all the Indian lands
west of the ninety-sixth degree. A
proviso in section IA authorized pay
ment for the Cherokee Strip on the
same terms as made with the
Creeks for Oklahoma, namely, $1.25
per acre, which, if accepted by the
Cherokees, required no ratification by
Congress, but became part of the
public domain when the Cherokee
Legislature had ratified the agreement
and provided the details for payment
of money. etc. The Commissioners say
that the personal request of the CherO-
kee Chief that Congress send Com
mission to the Cherokee Nation strong
~ influenced Congress in creating the
Commission. They quote from Sem
ate document No. so, in which
Mayes urgently requested the
Senate to send a commission down.
The report recites the incident con-
nected with their visit to the Chero-
KEGS last August, when, after waiting
two. weeks upon the Chief for an an
swer to their proposition, he finally de-
clined to call an extra session of the
Legislature, stating that the Cherokee
Constitution forbade sale of Chero-
kee lands. The Commissioners then
returned the latter part of October and
staid for six weeks, during which time
voluminous correspondence passed be-
tween them and the Cherokee author
tiles, but no definite conclusion was
reached till the end of that period.
The Commissioners suggest the opin-
ion that the alleged ''Cherokee Ma
tion," with laws passed and admin
istered by white men who are really
United States citizens, has become ex-
tinct by virtue of long continued in
termarriage between the Indians and
whites, and ask if strict sense Of
justice warrants the disposition Of In
dian annuities and other revenues
equally among white United States
citizens and full blood Cherokees.
The report recommends that the
Government avail itself of it's undenia-
Bile right, under section Is, of the treaty
Of 1856, to settle civilized Indians On
the unoccupied lands in the Cherokee
Nation proper, and the payment of
such sum as shall be agreed upon
by the Indians; or in case of their
disagreement the price per acre to
be fixed by the President. By the
payment of 50, 500,O 600 to the Chero-
KEGS fully 10, DOC. 900 acres, now occupied
by tribes west of the 96th degree, by ex-
ecutive order could be opened to settle
ment, while on the other hand 81, OO0,-
600 expended for the Cherokee Outlet
would only secure 5000, 900 acres in
ferior in quality to the lands now owned
by the Government, but occupied by
Indians who have no title to the soil,
but only the right to occupancy at the
Governments pleasure.
The Cherokees having refused a gen.
erous offer for alleged ownership of the
Cherokee Outlet, it now lies with Con-
gress to say whether the cattlemen and
an INSCRIPTIONS body of white men,
calling themselves Indians, can thwart
the Governments purpose to furnish
homes for vast numb who are cry
ing for a little spot of ground from
which they may derive sustenance for
hungry families. A high judicial au-
thority, whose legal attachments have
lately elevated him to the SUI
preme Bench of the United States,
has decided that the Cherokees have
no ownership in the soil of the Chero-
kee Outlet. II his opinion and the
opinions of other jurists have any
weight, then Congress ought to declare
the Outlet part of the public domain;
or if the Cherokee tenure is good, the
Government can avail itself of the pro-
visions of article Is of the treaty of
1865, which provides that the Govern
ment can settle friendly Indians on
the outlet by paying All cents per acre
to the Cherokees.