The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-10-31
ABOUT INDIAN RIGHTS.
E1ss. Holmes Colbert Ssys the Iaaiaa
Css Held Property RiGhts Uadsr
ehe Federal ceaseleutIoa.

rights OF the Indians?" q Herald re-
porter asked of Hon. Holmes Col
bert, prominent Chickasaw,- last
night.
In SO far as the Curtis bill affects
the rights of the Indians, it is un-
constitutional, ard viii not stand the
test of court decisions. 1t is my
humble opinion that the Curtis bin
has now served its days of usefulness
and at the next session of congress
will cease to exist or will be SO patch
ed up and amended that it will not
have, any of the appearance of the
original Curtis bill. My opinion is
that the Curtis bill was passed by
congress TO force the Indians to a
treaty. There was no other purpose
in it. have held to the opinion all
along. and that was one reason Ihad
for opposing the ratification of tho
AtoRa treaty.
las matter of fact, the United
States had a treaty with the Five
Civilized Tribes, that was a solemn
and binding obligation and out of
honor the United States government
should have kept its faith, but no one
will deny the right of the govern
ment to at any time abrogate any
treaty it may have with any nation,
great or small, strong or weak. If
the congress of the United States so
desire it could abrogate all treaties
between this country and England,
France or any other power, if the
country dared do it or did not fear
the Consequences, So far as the
honor of the transaction is concern
ed, it wonld be no more dishonor
than the treatm ant of the Five Civil
lied Tribes. The only difference is
that the powers of the world could
force the government to stand to an
agreement, while the Five Civilized
Tribes are but drop in the bucket,
and have not the power or the force
OF arms to force the government to
stand to their treaty agreements if
they so desired.
aside from all that, there is one
thing certain. While the federal
government has the right to abrogate
its treaties of peace with the Indians
and declare them null and void,
thereby doing away with all lbe law
making and executive power of the
Indian governments, it can do so. Ii
has the power to take away our trib-
al government over the tribes that it
chooses, but it has no right or power
under the constitution to take away
the property rights of the citizens.
The members of the Five Civilized
Tribes are owners of the land they
occupy, having purchased it under
contract from the United States gov
ernment and occupied it ever since
under that contract. The govern
ment has no right to set aside this
contract and to confiscate these
lands, nor will it ever have such q
right under the constitution as 1t now
stands. Whatever may be done.
whatever law may be passed, touch
ing the property rights of the In
dians, the supreme court is bound to
knock it higher than Gilderoy's g kite
because of its unconstitutionality.
When the tribal government is for
chilly taken away from the Indian
that is the extreme limit. That is as
far as force can go, and there the
lawmakers of Uncle Sam must halt.
The constitution is across their path
and they can not proceed further.
"The Cbickasaw nation has taken
up seventy of what are known as
"court cases" of citizenship. These
cases involve several hundred ofpeo-
ple's claims in the Indian Territory.
They are cases where claim ants to citi-
zenship were admitted to citizenship
by the federal courts. after being de-
MED by the tribe. These cases we
will take to the supreme court, and
have no fear but we will get fav-
oraole decision Before We can take
these cases up. however, we must
pay the court costs amounting to ST.
700 This we are compelled to do,
but We have just made arrangements
for the necessary money and the
cases will be taken up right away.
1.-THE freedmen question is the
same. five ever get that tosthe court ,
the freedmen will be knocked out.
They have no claims to rights, that
will stand before the supreme court.
The fight is on, and the Indian must
defend himself as best he can, and
the last resort is the supreme court
of the United States, and the eonsti-
tuition"
"How about the ruling OF the Dawes
/ loo....-.iaain.a that the citizen unnat