The Meeker herald., 1898-01-01
INDIAN TERRITORY.
PLANS FOR rns FUTURE.
os.s'sss fsyi.s to Br.ak ~ tAs Trial
"e.ss.est-Gre.t val.s ss Tie Ia
0aAs' Land

The two committees on Indian af
fairs are working together in the prep
aradon Of a bill to carry out the rec
ommendations Of Secretary Bliss with
regard to new form of government in
me Anolan territory. They are unan-
nn0us In the opinion that prompt and
raocai action should be taken to dis
soive the tribes, abolish the existing
.nDal governments and place the In
naoitants OF the several reservations
upon the same footing as the citizens
OF other territories, with equal rights.
privileges and protection. The chiefs
and other leading men will, Of course,
resist any attempt to deprive them of
their present autocratic power and rev.
enues. and will appeal to treaties that
were made years ago. but the officials
Of the Indian Bureau declare that those
treaties have been trampled upon so
long and defiantly by the natives that
all their rights were forfeited years
ago.
The FIRST step to be taken will be the
organization and admission of Indian
territory into the United States. the ap-
pointment of governor. II secretary.
judges and other officials that compose
the ordinary territorial organization.
Then a census of the territory will be
taken and an election ordered for a leg
islature to frame a code of laws.
When the new order of things is per-
manently established it will be neces-
sary for the government to allot the
reservation in severalty among the
members Of the five tribes and take
measures for the protection of the
white population and other settlers
hN ho oN-a x,I. ~.
tribes. Persons who occupy farms and
other property upon which improve
ments have been made at their ex-
pense will probably be allowed to pur-
chase them at an appraised valuation,
the proceeds being turned into fund
for the benefit of the Indians. Squat
ter's rights will be recognized and pro-
tected as far as they do not interfere
with the public welfare. Leases that
have been made by officials or individ-
uals will be recognized as public prop
efty, and the rentals will be adjusted
upon an appraisement of their values
II 1t shall be found that any person is
having the use of lands for which he
does not pay an adequate compensation
that lease will be Cancelled, but the
holder may have the option of renew
ing the same upon other terms that
will be to the best advantage Of the
tribes.
A large portion of the Indian lands
10 now occupied as ranches by white
people or members of the tribes, but the
revenues are enjoyed by a few indi-
vidual Indians and not by the Indians
as a community. 1t is proposed, there
fore, to abolish these monopolies and
require all rentals shall be paid into
the public treasury under regulations
b be prescribed by the secretary of the
Interior. This proposition will be met
with vigorous resistance, because it
will deprive small number Of the
leaders OF each tribe of lucrative in
comes to which they have no Just
claims.
The allotment of lands in severalty
will be difficult problem, because
nearly all the valuable tracts are now
occupied, and the members Of the COM
mittee are not yet clear as to the meas
ures they should take in that direction.
They are holding daily consultations
with ex-senator Dawes and General
Armstrong, Of the Dawes commission,
and will be largely guided by their rec
concentrations. The members of the
committee are anxious to secure the
rights of the individual members of the
tribe, who have hitherto been living
in state of semi-servitude, entirely
ignorant of their own claims and too
feeble to enforce them IL they had any
comprehension of what they were.
II the lands In Indian territory could
be sold at anything like their actual
value and the proceeds distributed pro
rata among the members of the five
tribes they would form one of the rich
est communities on earth, but the
great majority of the natives have no
perception of their own wealth and are
not competent to protect themselves If
they should be intrusted with the care
Of their own property. Proper provis-
lon will be made in the bill for their
1, is the intention to pro