The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1898-11-12
CHEROKEE COUNCIL



mitted for Your consideration,
!Ahohs that they have SRses now
pending in the Circuit Court. fof
i Appeals at St. Louis, Mo-, Court
l.ofAppeals at South McAlester, /.
IT., and in the Supreme Court. .,of
| the United States at Washington,
ID. c., and that a, decision Is ex.
pected soon. My contract with
them is also submitted herewith.
JUDICIAL RECORDS.
Inasmuch as the offices of our
courts are abolished ! suggest that
you provide for the taking care OF
1.-THE records found in their custody.
Some of them are valuable and
may be of great benefit to our cit
liens in the future. They might
be made a part of the records of
the Executive department from
which certificates could there be
given / did not feel authorized
under existing law to take charge
Of them, and not being a legal GUS
todian no certified copies of thom
could have been given from the
Executive Office.
FINANCE.
There are other and more serious
infractions of our treaties in the
last act of congress. Section l9
provides: "That no payment of
any monies on any account what
ever shall hereafter be made by
the government of the United
States to any of the tribal govern
ments, or to any officer thereof, for.
disbursement, but payment Of all
sums to members OF said tribes
shall be made under direction of
the Secretary uf the Interior by az.
officer appointed by him; and our,
semi-annual ,annuities due July.
1st, 1898, have not as yet been
disbursed although certified lists
of outstanding warrants against the
several funds were furnished the
Secretary of the Interior on Aug
ust 10th, 1898. What right the
United States government has toll
so arbitrarily withhold our funds, /.
and embarass our educational in \
stitutions other than the power, is
not apparent, it certainly has
neither legal nor moral right. An
other provision of this act to which
I.desire to invite your attention is
Section 26. which provides;
"That, on and after the passage
of this act, the laws of the various
tribes or nations of Indians shall
not be enforced at law or in equity
by the courts of the United States
in the Indian Territory"
Since our courts were abolished |
by this same act and the United |
States courts prohibited from en-
forcing our laws, we have had no
means at hand of collecting cur
revenues, and as a consequence
little, if any revenue has been col
lected since this provision of the
act of congress has become known.
The revenue report of the Treas
urer shows that including S11, 1885,
SO collected for board at our High
Schools for the benefit of our
school fund, $50, 0,23S.S7 was col
lected during the past year. In
this connection | desire to call your
attention to making some provision
for the collection of the remaining
installments due from the sale of
intruder improvements. These
improvements were sold under the
law and were to be paid for in six
annual installmenls to the sheriffs
of the several districts. On some
only one, aud on none have more
than two paymenrs been made.
The offices of Sheriff have been
abolished, and it will be necessary
tor you to provide means for the
collection Of the remainder due, as
well for the sale of any other inn
provements now in the illegal
possession OF intruders. | recon-
mend that the Office of Revenue
Collector be created with the same
duties as respects the collection of
this special revenue as were here
tofore exercised by the several
sheriffs. If THE President approves
it. In my judgment it can be en-
forced.
PUBLIC DEBT.
Our public debt has been care
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