The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-06-25
Indian Territory Bill.

The Indian territory bill has been
agreed 10 by the conference committee,
nearly all the senate amendments haF-
ing been stricken out. The principal
features of the bill are as follows:
When the roll Of citizenship of any
one Of the nations is fully completed, as
provided BY law. and the survey of the
lands Of said nation is also completed,
the Dawes commission shall proceed to
allOt the exclusive use and occupancy
of the surface Of all the lands of the
said nation or tribe susceptible Of al
| lotment among the citizens thereof as
shown by the roll. All coal, asphalt,
oil and mineral deposits are reserved TO
the tribe. All town sites shall also be
reserved to the tribe, and shall be set
apart by the commission as incapable
of allotment There will also be re-
served from allotment a sufficient
amount of lands now occupied by
churches. schools. parsonages, charita-
BILE institutions and other public build
ings for their present actual use. The
land reserved for each school shall not
exceed five acres, and for each church
one acre. It is provided that no allot-
ments provided for shall impair any
vested legal rights heretofore granted
by congress. Parties asserting such
rights may bring their suits in the
United States courts in the Indian ter
ritory, provided that such suits shall be
entered within six months after the al
lotments Of any lands affecting alleged
grants.
The secretary of the interior is au-
thorized and directed from time to time
to provide rules and regulations in re-
gard to the leasing of oil, coal, asphalt
and other minerals in the territory. No
leases shall be made for longer period
than fifteen years, nor cover more than
$40 acres of land.
The inhabitants of any city or town
in the territory having 200 or more res
idents therein may proceed, by petition
to the United States court in the dis
trict in which the town is located. to
have the same incorporated under the
laws of Arkansas.
There shall be commission in each
town for each Of the Chickasaw, Choc-
taw, Creek and Cherokee tribes, to
consist of one member, to be appointed
by the executive of the tribe, who shall
not be interested in town property other
than his home; one person to be ap-
pointed by the secretary of the interior
and one member to be selected by the
town. These commissions shall cause
to be surveyed and laid out the town
sites Y her. towns with a present pop
ulation Of 200 or more are located, con-
forming to the existing survey as far as
may be, with proper and necessary
streets, allies and public grounds, in
Guiding parks and cemeteries, giving to
each town such territory as may be re-
quired for its present needs and reason
able prospective growth, Certified
copies Of the plats, as made by this
board, will be filed with the secretary
of the interior, the clerk of the United
States court and the town authorities.
The owner of any improvements upon
any lot, other than fencing, tillage OF
temporary building may deposit in the
United States treasury at st. Louis
one half of such appraised value, 10 pei
centum within two months and - pei
centum within six months after notice
of appraisement, and the remainder in
three equal annual installments. All
moneys paid into the United States
treasury at st. Louis under the provis-
ion Of the bill shall be placed by the
treasurer to the credit of the tribes tC
which they belong
Appeals will be allowed from the
United States courts in the Indian ter
ritory to the supreme court of The
United States in all citizenship cases
and in all cases involving the con.
stitutionality or validity of the act fol
the protection of the people of the
territory.
The agreements made between the
Dawes commission and the commission
representing the Choctaw and Chicka
saw tribes are ratified and confirmed
and shall be Of full force and effect il
ratified before December /, 1898, by ;
majority Of the whole number of vote;
cast by members of the said tribes a
an election held for that purpose.