Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-22
NECESSITY FOR STATEHOOD
Ex-senator Dawes Wants to See the Indian
Territory Admitted.
Over 3oo.o0 White Persons There
"h" Are Entitled 10 Courts. Law
and Municipal Officers.

some inside history OF the recent ncrl-
uaiions of the Dawes commission with the
iiNe uibes is given in the following state-
mcnt which ex-senator Dawes Of IN, COM
mission has submitted to the lndian COM
m!ttvcs OF Congress as to tbs ~ n dis
cussed Choctaw aad Caickasaw Treaty.
This treaty Was ratified hy lee c.n,.aw
council. The Ch.ch..saM> ~ .s-!sa,a Ittili-
cation both hy council ana popular vote.
IL was ratified 10y tnc.r council. bar rcjeetaI
hy popular vote, 50 that the Choc.aNs pro-
noance they have rejected The treaty. .lcy
prescribed that i certain class OF citizens
heretofore voters should not yoi, on TINS
question. the inie.raatried citizens They
were the Choctaws living IN tn, Ch.cl.asay
country. lnasmuch as lhis uoaiy affected
the land in that portion OF the territory.
they ought 10 he lermitgel 10 vote on ii
also, but they We're preN,uIcl from voting.
was unable 10 sIsa that agreement for
TWO reasons-Oae. that il ma lie no pto sision
Tor ;he ChCctaw freedmen. who claim 10
be citizens, ANA. under treaty. entitled TO
forty acres of land clcn. IT excludes Them
by aiiotting ALI lands, 50 that. II their ci;i-
zehship claims are sustained, there would
oe no lards tor their forty acres each And
the United States is obliged to remove. them
from the territory after they haze become
NiNAStAis, anu pay NIlt4a SiAb 'dth
sSN"Vo orlSlnsI.iy appropriate 10 pay
Them. With aii lands allotted. these four
or i've thousand freedmen wound be on he
halds OF the tnlteu States, like :hc CHero-
kec lntrudcrs, with obligation 10 pguvi lie
lor them. thought there should pe re-
served from the aliotmcut land enough TO
insure a competency Tor them. "A .ouni to
be 50 entitled. bat there We're So many
more Important points to ice gained 10y the
ag. cement that my colleagues thought they
would TAIL in their duty If they did not
sign ii.
Another reason: The commission WAS re-
CURED TO determine II the Mississippi Choc-
taWs were not entitled To an equal share
IN me ChCc;a~ lands, under th,r treaty.
Win al land allotted. they Woaid have.
none left for them il found TO be entitled
and the United S.atcs would Ice obligated
10 their support- Inc Chociaw commits
SlonerS are bound up with The CnIckasaws
ana, whll" they have done all they could to
carry out inls treaty. the ChickaSaws are
on their backs, and they are quit. a diff
ltlent people, and there are influences
there which would prevent the :aIincation
ny the Chiekasa~s Of amy agreement that
We would be Wiling To impose. Ne cannot
DO anything for the ChoctaWs. isu; such
legislation may be agreed on this winter as
Will make this people see that il is better
TO SIT down with seine of their commits
sionefS and arbitrate this matter 10y agree
inent- There is a more serious Question
that they have invited 2JUpsI or more
white people there, who are residents. and
not ln;ruders. Never was a territory or
sahized In the United States which had
one-haIf as many white People as there
ANA Congress could never turn its face
away from applicant for recognition
winch com aimed lUlUtb whites lct here
Is territory with over 2ppnl white pao-
pie, with Giles and towns, without a
mayor, without constablos. without courts
without any law. Therefore 1 believe that
TINS Is question which must come up be-
lore Congress and come no This winter L
20; ;.ope. IL cannot be escaped. IL would not
be wise to wait until there is an OCT break
between the Indians and these peo3Ie who
must be a part OF the state. 4 want TO see
that magnificent territory eleN aIel out of
tne condition in which ii now is into one Of
the states of this Union"