The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-08-15
PERTINENT POINTS
On Curtis Bin and Atoka Treaty b
:. W. Peel. Attorney for the
ChIckasaws at Washington.

Setting forth a few plain reasons
why the Choctaws and Chickasaw..
should vote to ratify the agreement
made at Atoka, Indian Territory, be
tween their government and the
United States, at the coming election !
as assembled by congress: /
ALLOTMENT OF LANDS.
The allotment of your lands is per
haps the most important part 0,
your local affairs.
CURTIS LAW.
Under the Curtis law your lands
will be allotted by a commission ali
of whom will be citizens of the Unit
ed States, you will have no say or
voice in the matter and when allot
ed, you will have nothing but q claim,
you will have no title more than you
have now. Should you And yourself
land poor, as many of you doubtless
will, -you must remain so, for you
can't sell foot of it. The title will
remain in all the Indians and United
States under the Curtis law, as it is
called. All leases for your valuable
coal oil, asphalt, or other mineral
will be made by the secretary of in
terror; he may be a good man and
he may not, they are changed every
four years and many times oftener,
frequently every few months, he
may be Bill Jones to-day and Bill
Smith tomorrow, you will never
know, the rate of royalty fixed by
him at his pleasure.
TOWN SITES.
Under the Curtis law your town
first to be Incorporated. A town
commission is to be created, the
town 10 be represented on said COM
mission, the commission to lay out
the town and appraise the lots;
should they fail to agree on the value
of any lot, then the secretary Of the
interior to fix it. wners of i'm
proyement allowed to purchase any
and all lots at 80 cents on the dollar
of their appraised value, ten months
after apptGisment owner of the i'm
provements may purchase, and in
two months pay 10 per cent of the 50
per cent, and in six months 16 per
cent more, balance in three an
nual installments, all money on town
lots to be paid into treasury of the
United States to stand as q tender tC
&,l ~
not. This is little less than direct
conf iscation and an insult to a free
people, and ought not to be tolerat
ed 1t will be observed that under
the Curtis law all moneys arising
from the sale of town lots and roy
atty on minerals goes to the tribe
no exception made, now If the Freed
men are enrolled as citizens ant
ask are they not members of th,
tribe and as such members entitled
: to their share of the money derive'
7 from that source?
! JURISDICTION.
Under the Curtis law il an Indial
citizen is indicted in the Uuite
States court in the Territory TO
homicide (killing any person) b
must stay and stand his trial thOug
local prejudice may be very grea
not so under the agreement.
CONTINUANCE OF INDIAN GovERr
MENTs.
Under the Curtis law your govern
ments are at the mercy of congress
may be wiped out in day and
7" territorial government establishe
over you. The president would a.
or point a governor, secretary of sta
authorize the election of Territ
il rial legislature by all the peopl
then your troubles would begin al
all kinds of annoyances to you. wou
follow. No wise and prudent Cho
- taw or Chickasaw, will want this la
:, But you will have it unless. you "a
ify the agreement as amended
congress. Having pointed out sor
of the objections to the Curtis Ii
as it is called, will with your pe
mission try to show some of the q
vantages the late agreement
amended by congress will be to y
i'll if ratified.
AGREEMENT AS AMENDED-ALLC
MENT.
lal The allotment of your lands
T stated before is the most imports
. question of all your local affairs.
- Under the agreement each matt
T. is to have a representative of its o
on the commission to make the
Iotpent to you so you viii hs
some voice in that important wol
The grading and appraisement