The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-08-19
CURTIS BILL vs.. AoREEnENT.

| OOSIdu 0di unOts q PiOiAAhN -
Choctaw Indian, addresses an
open letter to the voters of the
Choctaw nation, which is ap
plicable to the voters OF the
Chickasaw nation. Mr.. Gar l.
ner gives some good reasons
why the agreement should be
rejected by the Indians on the
24th inst and why the Curtis
bill is preferable. All the rea-
sons he gives are applicable to
the Chickasaw nation, and one
other he does not mention: that
is, the giving OF forty acres of
land to each of the freedmen
and their descendants. If the
agreement is adopted, this gift
is consented to by the Chicka-
saws; if not, the gift is repudi-
ated and suit can be brought by
the tribe to test the legal and
constitutional rights of the
freedmen to the lands.
The following are extracts
from Mr.. Gardner's letter:
We object to the Atoka agree
nent for the following reasons:
l. We object to the proYis-
ION OF the agreement found on
page Ii OF house bill 1851, be-
cause said provision reserves
from allotment $40 acres each
for six academies, making a
total of 3,840 acres. in the
Choctaw nation, and a total of
800 acres for five academies in
the Chickasaw nation, making
the grand total of 1910 acres re-
served for academies IN both
nations, when the Curtis bill
only reserves five acres for
each academy, as is found in
the first half of Sec. II. page 3,
of the Curtis bill. making the
total reservation under the Cur
It's bill Of 90 acres, there being
eleven academies in both ma
tions, which shows a net gain
under the Curtis bill of 1885
acres-a very snug amount of
land that the agreement at
tempts to reserve from allot-
ment which ought to be divided
among the Choctaw and Chick
asaw citizens.
3. We object to the reserva-
ton of all mineral as is found
on page Ii of the Atoka agree.
ment because it clouds our title
whether there is mineral under
our allotment or not, and it
makes the title given US under
the agreement a conditional IT,
tie and not a clear title as we
are entitled to. 1t is made for
the adyantage of the -citl-
zen speculator and foreign cor
porations, and not for the bene-
fit of our people. This is an
undeniable truth. If it is not
true. why is it that every cor
poration coal company and
speculator in the Choctaw and
Chickasaw nations are working
so hard to have us ratify tie
agreement!
3. We object to the provision
of the agreement found on page
10, for it grants congress the
sole right and power to survey
and plat and set apart all rights
given railroads by congress,
without consulting or giving us
a hearing.
4. We object to the provis-
ions Of tire agreement as found
on page 20, for the reason that
it is made for the express pur-
pose of deceiving the people as
to our jurisdiction for eight
years. | admit that the first
part of said provision says that
we are 10 nave our tribal gov
ernment for eight years from
the 4th day of March, 1898, but
congress amends the original
provision and adds that this
provision shall not be con
strued to be in any respect an
abdication by congress of power
at any time to make needful
rules and regulations respect
ing said tribes y
Is it not plain that under that
provision congress has full
power and authority to take
away all our jurisdiction-leg-
Islatlve, judicial and executivef
There is no denying the fact
tnat the TInitad Statoc boc ii