The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-03-10
THE TOWNSHIP QUESTION
Judge Charles Stuart Thinks the Curtis
Bin Is of Far-ReaehinR Importance.
Radical with Some Things.

excited the people In the Indian
Territory into a state of jim
jams. The Curtis bill provides
for an adjustment of the trouble.
There have been representa-
tives of the differences here,
and / asked Judge Stuart, who
was for years the district judge
in the Territory, what he
thought of the question and he
answered as follows:
The Curtis bill. which is
now pending before congress,
is of very far-reaching impor-
tance to the people of the In
dian Territory. 1t is an at
tempt to settle one of the most
important questions, in my
judgment, which has come be-
fore congress in many years.
The interests which have grown
up in the Indian Territory are
in a large sense equitable on ac-
count of the fact that they can
not be regulated or determined
by any fixed or positive rules
of law. The bill deals very
radically with certain personal
interests, such as coal royalties,
pastures, farms, etc.. and these
interests will doubtless seek
protection in the courts of the
country against the operation
of the bill. The most impor-
tant feature, however, in the
bill is the one that relates to
townsites, and while this fea-
ture is by no means as Just and
fair as it ought to be, yet it is
by no means certain that the
people of the Territory ought
not to accept it.
The provision authorizing
the purchase of the townsites
from the Indians Is acceptable.
The only difficulty is in the
price to be paid for lots by those
purchasing from the incorpora-
ton. The bill provides that af-
ter the townsite has been pur-
chased from the Indians by the
incorporation at an agreed
price, the lots in said town
shall be appraised at their
cash value and 80 per cent of
this paid for the lot and the
difference between what the in
corporation pays the Indians
and what is realized from the
sale of lots by such incorpora-
ton shall be reserved as
school fund We all object to
this portion of the bill because
we feel that we ought to be per-
mitted to regulate the educa-
ton of our children without the
help or interference of congress.
But while the 90 per cent cash
value to be paid for lots is in
the abstract of excessive and
utterly unreasonable, yet | feel
that we are protected in a large
measure by the mannerin which
this valuation is to be fixed.
THE bill provides that this
valuation shall be fixed by one
person selected by the secretary
of the interior, one selected by
the town council, and in the
event Of disagreement between
these two. a third one to be Sc
lected by the United States
judge. 1t will be seen, there
fore, that the question of valua-
ton of price to be paid is en-
tirely in the hands of our own
people and for this reason | am
led to believe that no unreason-
able price will be fixed by them.
1t seems to me that we can
trust our townsman appointed
by the city council and some
good citizen appointed by the
United States judge to act fair
ly with us in this matter. Of
course time ought to be given
for payment, and l understand
the committee proposes to fix
this time at four wears.