The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-11-13
COMMISSIONS work.
Thomas 3. Needles Tslks Of what Has
Been Done Ia the lndlaa Territory.
work Ger Two or Three Years.

dian commission, who is home
taking two weeks vacation, and
who is one Of the best posted men
on the present affairs in the Indian
Territory, in an interview with q
Globe-Democr correspondent to-
day, said:
The Dawes commission has Just
completed q years work with tho
Five Civilized Tribes, and the an
nual report has been nled with the
department at Washington. During
the psstfourimonths the commission
has completed the census rolls and
established the citizenship of the
people of the Chickasaw nation.
The census rolls contain the names
Of about Is, 900 citizens. The census
rolls of the Creek and Seminole ma
tion are also about completed, and
the work of establishing the citizen-
ship among. these tribes is now in
progress. During the time the COM
mission was in the field we travelled
from tribe to tribe with camping
outfit and established ourselves for a
week or ten days at a time right
among the people. The commission
has complete camping outfit, con-
sisting of rine sleeping tents, one
dining tent and one kitchen tent.
We have six clerks working upon the
census rolls and one private secre-
tary, and each member of the COM
mission 10 in the field. Some of the
hardest work of the commission was
done during the hottest season of the
year, but we made excellent pro-
gress and every one is well satisfied
with the results.
Immediately after the completion
of the census rolls of the Creek and
Seminoles and the establishing of
citizenship among them the commits
sion will begin with the Choctaws
and Cherokees and when we have
done with these tribes the allotment
of the lands will be made as provided
by the Curtis bill. How long it will
take the commission to complete all
this is question, and depends to
certain extent upon the action taken
by the next congress. From the
present outlook, however, the COM
mission has enough work ahead to
keep us well employed for two, or
probably three years. 1t is neces-
sary that every resident of the ter
ritory who claims to be a citizen
prove the same to the satisfaction of |
the commissioners, and this is no |
small task and consumes considerable |
time.
The reason some residents of the |
territory are obiecting to certain |
features of the Cnrtis bill are num-
erous. OF course, all the tribes OBJ
iect to the abolishment of the tribal |
courts, but they have now come to |
understand that the Curtis bill is o. |
stern reality, and the better element |
now look upon 1t as g wise and the
conservative measure. The bill pro-
Yides that the estates of the Indians
be divided up equally, aud this fea-
ture 10 meeting with much opposition
on the part of the large land holders,
who have no title to the property. |
and the cattle grazers. In the large |
towns where this town lot provision |
of the bill is to be enforced is where
it 10 meeting with the most serious |
opposition.
Thousands Of head of cattle are
brought into the territory from across
the Texas line and grazed all the
winter for few cents per head, and |
these cattle grazers are some of the |
opposers of the Curtis bill. The
Spectators who are crying out |
against the too drastic measures of |
the bill, as they call them, will gain |
nothing. In the case OF the tribes, |
however. the Dawes commission has
the power to treat with them on GER
tain features of the bill and modify
the form. The treaty between the |
commission and the Greeks, which |
was voted on by the common people |
at n general election held November |
/, the returns of which have not |
been definitely ascertained, was a
treaty on the part of the Curtis bill
which abolishes. the courts among
the Creeks. The treaty provides
that the tribal courts shall be con-
tlnued, but shall be confined to q |
special class OF cases. Similar treat
les have been made with the Choc-
taws, Chickasaws and Seminoles,
and In each case have been ratified
by vote of the people.
Col Dew Wisdom, United States
Indian Agent, located at Muskogee,
in his annual report, just presented