The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-07-03
CURTIS BILL A. LAW.


Washington, july l, $3.50 p. IN
The agony is over. The Curtis
bill is signed and it is law and is
now on file in the department OF
state. j. F. Nc.
On receipt of this dispatch the
ARDMoREITE asked Delegate S. T
Bledsoe for an expression on the
bill and he replies as follows:
What do think of the Curtis bill,
and what effect will it have on the
progress and developments of the
country?
think, taking the bill as a whole,
it In a reasonably fair measure, as
fair as could have ever been obtain
ed by the white people resid-
ing in the Indian Territory. The re-
suit Of the operation of the bill will
be the solution and settlement of all
of the questions that have been vex-
ing the people of the Indian Terri
tory for the past eight or ten years.
The bill re-submits for ratification
the Atoka treaty in q modified form,
and If adopted, it suspends the op-
Grafton of those portions of the Cur
tbs bill that are in conflict with the
provisions of the treaty.
If the Indians adopt the .toka
treaty rs modified, title to town
property will be acquired under
the treaty, to-wit: The owner of
permanent, substantial and valuable
improvements, other than fences,
tillage and temporary houses, can
purchase one business and one resi-
dence lot at fifty per cent of apprais-
ed and balance of improved prop
erty at sixty-two and one-half per
cent. II the Indians do not ratify
the treaty, the towns are sur
veyed and laid out, and the owner
of improvements, other than fences,
tillage and temporary houses, is en-
titled to remain in possession of such
lots, upon paying to the treasurer of
the United States as a tender to the
tribe fifty per cent of the appraised
value and when the tribe makes title
to all lote it becomes the owner of
the money rendered. If owner of
improvements does not want to buy
his lot is sold at public auction to
hi hrvf hn h ia
before he can recover possession,
he must bring an action to
condemn the improvements and pay
the owner their assessed value before
he can recover possession of such
lot.
1t was evident that the farm leases,
as leGs Gses, could not be confirmed,
but solution of the question is af-
forded by providing that the non
citizen farmer may have an account
ing for all improvements made on
land not in excess of 160 acres when
an action is brought to recover pos
session of the pre- misses. The pro-
cedure provides that when an Indian
brings an action to recover posses
sion of farming lands held under an
agreement, lease or improvement
contract, the person sued may show
in defense that he is and has been in
peaceable possession of such land
and has made lasting and valuable
improvements thereon and that he
has not had the use of the land for
sufficient time to compensate him.
Thereupon he shall be charged with
the fair and reasonable rental value
of such land while SO occupied by
him, and credited with all i'm
provements made thereon, and if
his improvements exceeded in value
the rental value of the premises
for the time he had occupied
it he should be adjudged to hold
possession of the premises until the
use thereof would satisfy him for the
balance due him for the improve
ments. 1t is true that the provision
in the Curtis bill provides that all
leases shall terminate January /,
1900; but this does not mean that the
Indian will be entitled to possession
il the lease has not expired under
the terms of the contract unless the
white man has had possession of the
land long enough to pay him for his
improvements.
This bill means that the Indian
Territory will rapidly cease to be an
Indian country. II the Indians
adopt the treaty. they can ALLEVIATE
one-fourth of their land in one year,
one-fourth in two years and one
fourth in three years; and it ia safe
20 say that within five years after
the treaty 10 adopted dthree-fourths of
the farming land in the Indian Ter