Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1894-11-29
Left with the Presldent.


w ashington, d. c.. November |
Smith, Of the inter- |
ior, Is uncertain about what to DO
with the Indian Territory situa-
ton. Even backed by the Dawes
commission and by Senator Jones,
of Arkansas, chairman of the
senate committee on the Indian
affairs, he is afraid to join them in
the matter Of bringing about
radical change of conditions in that
country. Quite a number have
been comforting with the secretary
about the matter. He is afraid
that the president will not agree
with him, and it would simply be
another instance of where a presi-
dent left q secretary out in the
cold, and the people would see
that he had been turned down by
the chief executive.
The secretary has been trying to
see the president for several days.
In fact, for over a week he has
been applying for time at Wood
ley, and the same has been refused
him until this afternoon. He was
given to understand by Private
Secretary Thurber to-day that IL he
would call at Woodley about 2
O'Clock this afternoon he might be
able to see the president. The
secretary accepted the gentle tip
and was on hand, but it appears
that the president allowed the Sec
retary TO cool his heels a very long
time and at last it was announced
that he could have Just a little
time. He saw the president, but
not long enough to talk over the
matters he had scheduled for con-
sideration, and as far as Indian
Territory matters are concerned he
is yet in the dark about what to
recommend.
In the meantime the members of
the commission would also like
very well to have some directions
from the secretary of the interior
about what to do. They are favor
able to returning to the Cherokee
country and making some efforts
in certain lines to get concessions
from them, believing that if the
Cherokees are given to understand
that they are likely to be interfered
with by congress they will not be
averse to doing business with the
commission. But the secretary Of
the interior is afraid to act in the
matter until after he can see the
president. This is also one of the
things he wants to place before the
president, as he does not care to be
turned down.
Should j. appear that the presi.
dent concludes to follow the plan
of making a territorial form of gov
ernment for the benefit of the In
dian country it is very certain that
such recommendation will ap-
pear in the annual report of the
secretary Of the interior, and should
it again happen that the president
has not reached that point, the
secretary will likely include in his
report some suggestions about an
increase of the judicial facilities in
the Indian country. He will con-
fine himself to the old scheme of
adding two more judges to the
court in that country, and express
the hope that this will bring about
peace in that country. He is also
in favor of abolishing the courts at
Ft. Smith and Paris and bring all
courts inside the Indian country.
He will most certainly. favor this,
unless it should appear that the
president would object to such
recommendation.
The secretary stated to-day that
he had decided to recommend the
passage of the McRea public land
bill, which is now pending. This
is the bill TO provide for the sale
Of the public domain to the high
est bidder. 1t is the same bill the
secretary aimed to force through
the house at the last session, but
it failed. The northern Democrats
who were accustomed to tho action
of the homestead law, aud knew
how unpopular it would be to wipe
this out and place in its stead a
plan of selling the public lands to
the highest bidder, opposed the
bill, and thus encompassed its
temporary defeat. Now it is an.
nounced by the secretary that he
intends to include a recommeuda-
tion covering this matter in his re-
port. He wants that bill passed,
and in the event it is passed, he
will favor approving the agree
ments with the Kiowa, Comanche
and Apache Indians throwing open
their lands TO settlement. In the
event he can get the law passed, he
will also promise to open to settle
ment the Kickepoo reservation,
which could have been opened
more than a year ago by orders
from the secretary.