Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-02-26
THE CHEROKEE OUTLET.

Tho Secretary of tho Interior Gives His
Views IN Plain Terms-If Congress In
seakds to Open the Strip to Settlement It
Should Act Speedily.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2O.-The Cherokee
outlet question is attracting consider
able attention here at present and yes
terday there were distributed at the
capitol printed copies of Secretary
Mobiles letter to Chairman Struble, of
the house committee on territories, in
regard to Representative Mansur's bill,
introduced January II, which, in effect.
proposed to appropriate 81, 4s9. us. 70 to
pay the Cherokee nation, at the rate of
ST. 5 per acre, for any claim or interest
they might have to lands within the
outlet.
This bill was referred to Secretary
Noble and he referred it in tarn to In
dian Commissioner Morgan, who held
that the Cfserokees had a full and COM
plete fee simple title to the lands en-
braced in the Cherokee outlet and that
it was private property in which the
United States had no more interest than
had state in private lands liable to
escheat- He also held that the lands
could not be appropriated without the
assent of the Cherokees.
Secretary Noble differs entirely from
the commissioner and at great length
explained the various treaties and ex-
ecutive orders for the past fifty or
sixty years bearing upon the lands and
the Chcrokees in their rights accorded
them when they consented to move
west of the Mississippi.
Mr.. Noble concludes his letter with
several reference to the attempts of the
commissions to treat with the Chero-
KEGS and says: Recent communica-
tons from the board of commissioners
show that negotiations during the past
year have been barren of results, if not
entirely futile. Propositions have been
made by our commissioners which were
met by counter propositions, some of
which were so extravagant and IN
heard of in character that the commits
sioners were compelled to decline all
discussion in relation to them and now,
after repeated efforts to bring about an
amicable settlement of these matters,
no agreement has been reached
and negotiations have come to
an end. Whether they will be
renewed and with what result remains
for the future to disclose. So far as l
can see. we are now no nearer an amic
able arrangement than we were at the
beginning. /, therefore. think. in view
of what has been said and of other con-
siderations not necessary to press upon
you now, that if congress intends to
open up the Cherokee strip to settle
ment the measure proposed or some
similar law should be speedily enacted.
Of course the foregoing views must be
taken to be applicable only to the
Cherokee outlet in which believe the
Indians have only an easement which
congress has power to declare at an end
upon reasonable compensation for such
interest
copy of Secretary Mobiles letter to
Samuel Paul. of Paul's valley, Chicka-
saw nation, was to-day inclosed to Rep
resentative Mansur by Representative
Clements, and the latter says that he
mas been assured by the secretary that
all rights of citizenship of the nation
and rights Of money and land belonging
to the Chickasaw council forfeited these
rights to those who, under the act to
provide for the temporary government
of Oklahoma, became citizens of the
United States. In his letter to Paul
the secretary assured him that the laws
of the United States were paramount to
any enacted by the Chickasaw nation