Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-02-03
THE FIVE TRIBES
IN CONGRESS.
SUMMARY OF LAST WEEKS LEGIS
LATIvE DEVELOPMENTS.
Indian Appropriation Bill Passes the
House. Work for the Dawes Commits
siOn-Dim Hope for the Claimants
TOwnsite Delegates Active.
Copyright ls9s.I
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Jan. %. 1898.

which will he, it is now thought,
Feb. 10th.
The house has spent the greater
part of the week discussing the In
dian appropriation bill. 1t passed
that body Friday and has gone to
the senate. The house passed the
Dawes commission item without
discussion, no point being raised.
As the bill now stands, after the
Both of June next, the commission
will be reduced to three members.
1t was expected that the present
lull in Indian legislation would ef-
feet an exodus of Indian Territory
people from Washington. On the
contrary the great majority of them
will remain. They are putting in
the vacant period in intrenching
themselves in their several posi-
tions. Both Indian and townsite
delegations are working hard, and
when the committee resumes its
sittings some interesting develop
ments are expected.
Col. J. J. McAlester, DR.. Haily
and Judge Stuart of South Meal
ester, DR.. Wolverton of Ardmore,
w. E. Halsell of Vinita, and four
members of the Cherokee delega-
tion have gone home to the terri
tory, but most of them will return
Immediately.
Senate bill 1882, ITO provide
for making rolls of citizens of the
five tribes in the Indian Territory,
and for other purposes" has been
introduced by Senator Jones. 1t
was drawn and introduced at the
instance OF the Dawes commission,
and provides In substance as fol-
lows:
That the Dawes commission
shall make rolls of citizens as re-
quired by law; that they shall take
the Cherokee rolls of 1880 (not in
cluding freedmen) and enroll all
persons on said roll, and their de-
scendants and all persons enrolled
by tribal authorities who have
made permanent settlement in the
Cherokee nation, and who have,
by reason of their blood, been law
fully admitted by the tribal au-
thorities, and who were minors
when their parents were enrolled;
that the commission shall investi-
gate the right of all persons on any
other rolls, and omit all placed
thereon by fraud or without au-
thority OF law, enrolling only such
as have lawful right thereto and
their descendants; that they shall
make a roll of Cherokee freedmen
in compliance with the decree of
the court of claims rendered March
3, 1896; that the commission cor
rect the rolls of citizenship of all
the other tribes, eliminating all
placed thereon by fraud or withou;
authority of law; that they shall
determine the identity of Choc-
taws claiming rights in Choctaw
lands, under treaty of 1880, and if
they find that such persons have
removed in good faith, and be-
come residents upon the lands of
the Choctaw nation, they shall be
entitled to enrolment; that the
roll of the Greek freedmen made by
j. w. Dunn prior to March l4th,
1897, be confirmed, and that the
commission enroll all whose names
are found on said rolls and all de-
scendants; that the commission
shall make a roll of the Choctaw
freedmen and their descendants
under treaties and laws of the
ChoctaS nation; that the commits
sion shall make a roll of the Chick
asaw freedmen and their descend
ants, under treaty 1866, and that
a sufficient amount of land be re-
served from allotment for their
use under the provisions of the
treaty, should they be found enti
tied to the same, and that the use
and occupancy of 40 acres be al
lotted to them until their rights
are determined; that the several
tribes may determine the right of
persons claiming citizenship in two
or more tribes, but if not so deter
mined, the claimants shall be en-
titled to citizenship in only one
tribe, to be determined by his
election, and if he fails to make |
such selection, the commission
shall enroll him in the tribe with |
whom he has resided; that no per
son shall be enrolled in any tribe |
who has not heretofore removed |
thereto, in good faith, and settled |
in such nation; that in all rolls |
thus made, the persons thereon
shall be described; that the COM
mission shall have access to all |
records of the several tribes aud
upon refusal they may punish as
for contempt; that the rolls so
made, when approved by the sec
retary'of the interior, shall be final,
and that the persons so placed
thereon and their descendants
shall constitute the several tribes;
and that thereafter no person shall
be admitted to citizenship by the
several tribes or by the commits
sion.
During the past few weeks sen
timent has become modified TO
some extent regarding the claim
ants. At first the feeling was that
they had had all the opportunity
to ''prove up" which the circum-
stances warranted. They now ask
permission to go TO the supreme
court and it is suggested that they
be allowed to carry their cases to
the court of appeals of the terrific
ry but no farther.