Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-01-27
THE FIVE TRIBES
IN CONGRESS.
ACTION ON TERRITORY BILL TO GO
OVER TO FEBRUARY Is.
Work Of the Town LOtters -COniirma-
tiOn OF Cherokee Deeds Asked GEN
eral Indian Legislation Notes.
copyright ls9S.)

committee reported the bill, that
ii woGld be taken up by the In.
dian affairs committee and report.
ed 10 the house, without delay,
but il is now learned that the com.
mlttee will not take up the bill be
fore the 10th or 18th of February.
Mr. Curtis will, in the meantime,
make a tnp To his home in Kan
sas, and other members OF the com
mittee will be absent from the
city; for these reasons the commit
tee has decided to postpone ac-
tion on the bill to the time indi-
Gated. In the meantime the leg
islative pot will be allowed to
skinner down." SO to speak. The
various townsite delegates from
the territory will remain and
work. and when the committee
again takes up the bill, the repre-
sentative of all interests will have
located fhe exact features they
want modified, and agreed upon
just what will be urged in the way
of amendment
If the people of the Indian Ter
ritory have an idea that the town
site delegates are rot working and
working hard /; and that they are
not organized, and thoroughly so;
and that there is no: harmony
among them, and perfect harmony,
they are not advised as to what
their representatives are doing and
have been doing. Immediately
after the report of the Curtis bill
was reported to the committee
they called a meeting to find
"where they were at" The meet
ing was held at the National hotel
and ]. J. McAlester was elected
president of the same. After a
full discussion OF the townsite
features of the bill, a committe
was appointed to draft an amend
ment embodying the sense of the
meeting. The committee was
composed of j. F. McMurray, of
South McAlester; DR.. Wolyerton
and S. I. Bledsoe, of Ardmore;
Judge Stuart, of South McAlester,
and w. P Thompson, of Table
quah. This committee has been
at work, and yesterday agreed up
on amendment, which is in sub
stance, as follows
THAT the land upon which any
town is located shall be purchased
from the Indians at such a price
as may be agreed upon between
the towns and Indians; that the
chief executive officer OF any town
20 purchased, shall plat the town;
that such plat shall be approved
by and filed with the secretary of
the interior; that, upon fling the
plat with the secretary of the in-
terror, the chief executive officer
of the town shall appoint al officer
who, with the chief executive OF
ficer, shall appraise the lots srpar-
ale aud apart from any improve
ments that may be on the same
at such a relative value as the
present value of the lot bears t.
the purchase price paid for the
so that the aggregate
value of all the lots
shall not exceed the amount paid
for the entire lownsIte, together
with the expense incurred in pro
curing and vesting title; that
should appraisers be unable to
adree upon value, the judge of the
United States court shall appoint |
a third person not resident OF
such town to assist III the appr&is-
ment; that a determination of a
majority of said appraisers shall
be conclusive; that any person
having improvements upon any
lot so appraised shall purchase at
The appraised value, twenty five
per cent of such purchase to be
paid in cash, and the balance in
i've equal installments of one, two,
.hree, four and five years, with
inter- st from date, at six per cent,
orovided, that any purchaser may
nave the right to pay off the same
before maturity; that if any person
having improvements shall not
purchase the lot within six months
lfter appraisement, the same shall
De sold at public auction, at not
ess than appraised value; that
he proceeds of such sale OF lots
hall be applied, first to the pur-
hase price of the townsite, and
be excess, if any. to be deposited
With the secretary of the treasury
Or the school fund; and that all
OTIS heretofore sold by the Chero-
zee nation. and to which said
ation has given deeds, and for
7hich the purchase price has been
aid into the Cherokee treasury,
) hereby confirmed" " [
At this meeting every townsite {
elegate in Washington was pres {
MT, and the amendment just quo !
ID is understood to be what they
ill insist upon, as a unit, when
ne committee is ready to hear
lem.
This amendment differs from the
,wnsite clause of the Curtis bill
l two essential features, first, as {
, the appointment Of the apprais q
RS of lots; and second as to the !
tanner or basis of appraisemeut.
he Curtis bill provides that the
ppraisers shall be appointed, one 7
Y the secretary of the interior. one I
' the chief executive officer Of the :
,wn, and third to be selected by
le two; while the amendment
Ist quoted provides that the ap
raisers shall consist Of three. the {
,iaF axac,r.iva officer of Tho TOWN /