Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1896-04-16

have been made.
Section IA limits the time within
which civil action may be brought
under the act. Sections 10 and 16
authorize the commission to sur
vey and lay out town sites for the
fixing of ground rentals for said
lots and provides for the renting
of the same by the year after the
plats and ground rentals are ap-
proved by the secretary of the in
terror, and section II makes IN
paid rents a lien upon the i'm
provements.
Your committee did not go as
far on the town site question as it
desired, believing that under the
circumstances it would be better
at this time to provide for the lay
ing out of towns and placing a
limitation on the time for which
leases might be made, believing
that at the next session of this
congress or that the next congress
would be much better prepared to
legislate upon this question.
The committee went as far as it
deemed advisable at this time, and
it expects the tribes, before the
next session of congress. will con-
sent 10 a proper town site law.
Section Is enables the inhabit-
ants of any town in the territory
having 200 or more residents to
petition the United States court to
have the town incorporated under
the provision of Mansield's Digest
of the statutes Of Arkansas, and
gives them all the powers and
rights exercised by similar town
governments in that state. but no
authority is given to tax the real
estate in said town.
Sections 10 and 20 make it un-
lawful for the violation of certain
provisions of the act, and section
p provides the penalty for such
violations.
Under section % all per capita
payments hereafter made to the
citizens of any said tribes are to be
paid direct to the individual citi-
zen by an officer of the United
States.
Section % authorizes the COM
missioners, with the approval of
the secretary of the interior, to
employ necessary assistance, and
section "a confirms rights of way
of land granted for depot, sidings,
and freight storage purposes here
tofore granted by congress, where
the provisions of the act have been
complied with.
There was considerable COM
plant to your committee about the
territory being place of hiding
for fugitives from justice and it
was charged that most of the
crimes committed in that country
and the border states were perpe-
trsted by outlaws, who were
wanted by the criminal authorities
of other states, but that for some
reason they were not apprehended.
Your committee after due con-
sideration prepared sections %
and 26. which they believe will
give the required relief and enable
the executive of any state to de-
mand of the United States judge
of the territory any person in said
territory as fugitive from justice,
and your committee believe that
there will be no further trouble in
apprehending criminals in that
country.
Section q requires that certain
laws of the Indian councils shall
have no validity until they are ap-
proved by the president of the
United States. This, under the
existing circumstances, your CON-
mi;tee believes to be necessary.
The committee has also made pro-
visions in this bill for the commits
sion 20 make a complete roll of
certain ex-slaves and their de-
scendants, now in The Choctaw
and Chickasaw nations and who
were entitled to certain rights un-
der former treaties with said
tribes, but whom it claims have
never enjoyed them. This roll
and the findings of the commission
as to whether the stipulations of
the treaty have been carried out,
are to be filed with the secretary
of the interior and he is to make
such recommendation to congress
in regard TO the matter as he may
deem proper.
In the preparation of this sub
stitute bill your committee has
made provisions for the protec-
tion OF life and property in the In
dian territory by extending the
criminal laws of the United States
and the state of Arkansas over it;
giving jurisdiction TO the United
States courts TO try and punish
violators of those laws regardless
of citizenship; to protect property
rights by enlarging the civil juris-
diction of the United States courts;
to settle the intruder question, by
giving the courts power to eject
them from the lands they are
wrongfully Withholding from the
Indians; to protect the so called
Indians by allotting to
them their right to use and occupy
their part of the lands; to break
up the monopoly of lands-and
which has reached enormous pro-
poriions-that now exists in said
territory; TO secure to the tribe the
income from the rich mineral de-
posits and prevent that which
belongs to them from
being absorbed by a few enterpris-
ing individuals; to provide for the
laying out of towns and for the
establishment of schools and
TO assure the people of
that country the protection and re-