Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-10-07

that the commission may see fit
to lay off, are virtually set apart as
capital for speculation; and these
town commissioners are to be the
spectators. The commissioners
are constituted the guardians of
the towns and the captain. generals
of the nation, setting aside the
national council, and all other
constituted authorities of the na-
tion as something that for the
future have nothing more to do
with the public veal. these lots
are to "be sold by the commission
from time to time at public auc-
ton, after proper advertisement,
as may seem for the best interest
of the nation and the proper devel-
opment of the town" This pro-
vision, as you must see, invests
this United States officer and this
select ci izen not only with .egis-
latlve power to determine what is,
and what is not, for the best inter-
est of the nation, but also with au-
tocratic power over the only great
property interest of the country.
The policy and'''the proper devel-
opment of towns" after the peo-
pie have built them, is generally
in the hands of the legislature
But this reckless treaty puts all
this in the hands of two select
men. Nothing on earth can be
more improvident and abused.
5. But what is to become of the
money for which these town lots
are to be sold? That is to be paid
into the treasury of the United
States. And what is to become OF
it then? Well, it is to remain there
to the credit of the nation. All
yes; that is the grind. While this
money is lying there in reserve for
a future generation the poor peo-
pie of the present generation, to
whom it rightfully belongs, are
Just as far from it as if it had been
dropped down at once into the
pocket of speculation. The people
will never see a dollar of it. We
know full well the career that In
dian money runs when it leaves
the treasury of the United States.
1t generally goes out in the form
of mammoth lawyers fees, gigan-
tic lobby fees, ten-horse delegation
expenses, fictitious claims of over
whelming size, together with a
vast variety of stealages too nu-
merous- to mention. No prudent
Indian (unless he is in for a spec
ulation of some kind) will ever
consent 10 the conversion of sin
gle inch of the common soil into
cash unless the money is to come at
once into his own hands and with
out the intervention of a troop of
pragmatical middlemen of any
kind.
The agreement provides for title,
in case of allotment: the Creek
nation is to quitclaim all her inter-
est in the allotment to the allottee;
now that is good, business-like
work, as fer as it goes. But the
United States owns, or at least
claims, an interest in all these In
dian lands. Now before the allot-
tees title can be complete, this
claim of the United States must al.
so be transferred to the allottee.
For this purpose the agreement
provides that the United States
shall relinquish all her interest in
this allotted land 10 the allottee.
Now, this done, the title of the al
lottee would ordinarily be COM
plete, an ID all that could be desired.
But there is state of facts ex
listing right here that We have not,
as yet, taken into account. There
is a good deal of these lands in
which the United States neither
owns nor claims any interest what
ever; she has nothing in them to
relinquish. And all this is true
just because, in 1866, she sold and
relinquished her interest to the NJ. E,
K. & +. railroad company. Now
it is obvious that before the allot-
tees title can be perfect, he will
have to get the railroad company
to relinquish to him, Qhe allottee.
But the railroad company say they
will not do it.
Now whether the Greek commits
sioners know all this, and proper
ly appreciate the Legal effect Of
these facts, may be somewhat un-
certain; it is certain however that
they have allowed themselves to
be led along into this negotiation
as mere passive instruments and
as though they had no special care
as to which way they driited. But
the Dawes commission understood
it all right well They knew that
40 patent executed by the Greek
nation and the United States could
give good title to the allottee on
those lands that are covered by the
railroad claim. But what do they
do? Do they go to work, and in a
true business way, extinguish this
railroad claim and get it out Of the
way and thus make it feasible in
law for the Greek nation and the
United States to give good title?
No; nothing of that kind. They
knew that the railroad company
would not surrender; and that
good title in that case was out OF
the question. Hence they simply
attempt to jump over the difficulty
instead Of getting il. out of the way
And the manner they attempt to
make this jump is something but
little better than a wilful shame.
Hear their words: 1.-The secretary
of the interior OF the United States
shall annex to said patent his GER
tifcate which shall be operative as
A REIMBURSEMENT OF all right, title
aud interest of the United States
in and to the land conveyed by