Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-12-16

sion effected agreement with the ChocsaW
nation alone The Chickasaws. however. re-
fused to agree to its terms and they have .
common interest with the Choctsws In the
lands OF said nations. the agreement with the
latter nation could have effect without the
consent of the former. On April 23.s1Ss1, tho
commission effected agreement with both
tribes-the Choctaws and Chickasaws- This
agreement. it is understood. has been ratified
by the constituted authorities Of the respective
tribes or nations, parties thereto, and only re-
quires ratification by congress to make it bind
ing.
On the 9th OF September, 1891 an agreement
effected with the Creek nation, but it is
understood that the national council OF said
nation has refused to ratify the same Nego-
tiations yet to be had with the Cherckees.
the most populous of the five civilized tribes.
and with the Seminoies the smallest in point
Of numbers and territory. The provision in the
Indian appropriation act. approved June, 10.
1896, makes it the duty OF the commission to
investigate and determine the rights of applf-
cants for citizenship in the five civilized tribes
The commission is at present engaged il this
Work among tribes and has made appointments
for taking the census of these people up to and
including the Soth of the present month.
Should the agreement between the ChoctaWS
and Chickasaws be ratified by congress- and
should the other tribes fail to make an agree
ment with the commission. then it will be ne
ceSSary that some legislation shall be had by
congress. which, while just and honorable to-
the Indians. shall be equitable TO the white
people who have settled upon these lands BIZ in
vitation of the tribal nations. Hon Henry L
Dawes. chairman OF the commission, in letter
to the secretary of the interior under date OF
October IL, 1897, saws: individual ownership
is in their (the commiSsion'sD opinion absolute
ly essential to any permanent improvernentei in
present conditions, and the lack of it IS the
root or nearly all the evils which so grievouSly
a1fifct these people Allotment by agreement
is the only possible method, unless the United
States courts are clothed with the authority to
apportion the lands among the citizen Indians
for whose use 1t was originally granted -
The Yellow Fever Epidemic
The recent prevalence Of yellow fever in
number Of cities and townss throughout the
south has resulted in much disturbance OF
commerce and demonstrated the necessity of
such amendments to quarantine laws as
will make the regulations of the national quar-
antine authorities paramount The secretary
or the treasury, in the portion of his report re-
lating to the operation of the marine hospital
service, calls attention to the defects in
the present quarantine laws and recon-
mendS amendments thereto which will give
the treasury department the requisite au-
thority to prevent the invasion Of epidemic
diseases from foreign countries. and in times
OF emergency like that OF the past summer will
add to the efficiency Of the sanitary measures
for the protection OF the people and at the same
time prevent unnecessary restrictions of com
merce- I concur in his recommendation In
further effort to prevent the invasion of the
United States by yellow fever, the Importance
of the discovery of the exact cause OF the dis
ease, which up to the present time has been
undetermined, is obvious. and to this end a
systematic meteorological Investigation should
be made therefore recommend that congress
authorize the appointment of a commission by
the president to consist of four expert bacteri-
ologlStS one to be selected from the medical
officers of the marine hospital service one to
be appoint ted from civil life, one to be detailed
from the medical officers of the army and one
from the medical officers of the navy.
he Pacific Railways
The Union Pacific railways main line was
sold under the decree of the United States
court for the district of Nebraska on the LIST
md md Nov Of ~,
due the government consisted of the principal
of the subsidy bonds. s27 236, 5I2 and the ac-
crued interest thereon, Sl.2I1.711.75, making
the total Indebtedness SIS, AS 223 % The bid
at the sale covered the first mortgage lien and
the entire mortgage claim Of the government,
principal and interest The sale of the sub
sidized portion of the Kansas Pacific line,
upon which the government holds a second
mortgage lien has been postponed at the in
stance OF the government to December
16, 1897. The debt of this division
of the Union Pacific railroad to the
government on November H. 1897 was the
principal of the subsidy bonds, IS. 303 600 and
the unpaid and accrued interest SO 626 600 g.
making total of ST. e29. $50 81 The sale of
this road was originally advertised for Noyem-
Der T. but for the purpose of securing the ut
most public notice of the event it vas post
poned until December 10, and second adver-
tiSement of the sale made. BY the decree
OF the court the upset price the sale of the
Kansas Pacific will yield to the governments
the sum of -, 500 00J over all prior liens costs
Is
this sum is all that the government
will receive its claim of nearly
alS, 10000 The government has no informa-
tion as to whether there will be other bidders
or better bid than the maximum amount
herein stated The question presented there
fore is: Whether the government shall under
the authority given it by the act of March g
1897, purchase redeem the road in the event
that bid is not made by private parties COW
ering the entire government claim. To qualify
the government to bid at the sale will require
a deposit of seO0,OJ0, as follows: In the govern
ment cause 100000 and in each of the first
mortgage causes - o. 900, and in the latter the
deposit must be in cash Payments at the sale
are as follows: Upon the acceptance of the
bid a which with the sum already epos-
tied shall equal Is per cent of the bid, the ball
ance in installments OF p per cent 80 40 and 50
days after the confirmation of the SALE The
lien on the Kansas Pacific prior to that OF the
government on the 30th of July 1897 principal
and interest amounted to 81. 2sI ,U42 H. The
government, therefore. should it become the
highest bidder, will have to pay the amount Of
the first mortgage lien
1 believe that under the act of 1887 it has the
authority to do this and in absence OF anS ac-
ton by congress L shall direct the secretary of
the treasury to make the necessary deposit-as
required by the courts decree to qualify as a
bidder and to bid at the sale a sum which will
at least equal the principal of the debt due to
the government; but suggest in order to re-
ment Of the law be Immediately
passed explicitly giving such powers
and appropriating in general terms whatever
sum is sufficient therefor.
Civil Service.
The important branch of our governments
known as thu civil service, the practical i'm
prove ment OF which has long been a subject of
earn est discussion has of late years received
increased legislative and executive approvsa.
During the past few months the service has
been placed on a still firmer basis of business
methods and personal merit While the right
OF our veteran soldiers to reinstatement to de-
serving cases has been asserted, dismissals for
merely political reasons have been carefully
guarded against, the examinations for
admittance the service enlarged
and at the same time rendered