The times., 1898-08-31
THE DAWES COMMISSION.
enrolling the CoIored Men in the
Creek and ChicEusaw Nafions


| tsiuskegon Dispatch St Louis CIobe-Democrat \
Inc members of the Dawes Commission.
VINO nave been busiIy engaged for the
past month in enrolling the freedmen of
the creek Nation. have about compIeted
their iabors, and will proceed i'm about a
week to the Chickasaw Nation. where
they VIII make rolls of the members and
iIeeuiheh OF that tribe. The completion
OF the roll of Creek freedmen will settle
forever the right of negro cIaimarts
10 participate in the distribution
OF the lands and moneys Of that nation
as the roll which Is now being conpIeted
Is intended to be the final roll of the
Creek freedmen All negroes who claim
ed enrolment as Creek freedmen have
been required by the commission TO show
that either the claimants or their ances-
tors Were on the Dunn roll of 1861. which
was the first roll made of the Creek
freedmen and contained LIZA names. The
present freedmen roll will contain be-
tween 1000 and 5000 names and will mean
that about one-third of the lands and
moneys of the Creek Indians are to be
given to those negroes who were either
slaves of Creek Indians. descendants of
such slaves or residents OF the Creek Ma
ton at the close of the Civil War
When the Civil War closed ii became
necessary for the Indians OF the five civil
lied tribes of the Indian Territory TO
make new treaties with the United
States, because they had abrogated all
former treaties by joining the Confedera-
cy. and this Notwithstanding the fact
tnat many of the members of the five
tribes did gallant service in the Union
army. The new treaties were made in
iSoo. and each tribe was compelled TO give
TO the former slaves of the members of
e'e tribes a share of the lands and mon
tfna ri.
CURED to make additional concessions. as
the second article of their treatv mad
III Iseo. provides that inasnuch as there
are among the Creeks many persons az
african descent who have no interest in
the SOIL 1t is stipulated that hereafter
muse persons lawfully residing I'm said
oIeeA country under their laws and Us
ases' OF VINO nave been thus residing II,
aaiu country and may return within one
rom the ratification of the treaty
anu thelr descendants, and such otbers
OF the same race as NAV ba narr,i.ts1 -.
the laws OF said nation to settle u,t.tt..
Sle iliiiits OF the Jurisdiction of the craa,,
NATION as citizens thereof. shall have ana
ENJOY an me rights and privileges of ma
i've citizens, including an equal intare-,
IN me SOIL and national funds
ihls treaty Will give to each man NO
- [,iai ana enid who is a freedman OF :ha
'iSA OelWSen IN and 80 acres
oI iahd and several hundreds dollars in
money. This will place the freedmen Of
'ne creek Nation. as a community. nroh-
dolS IN better circumstances than any-
other negroes in the United States. MANY
OF the families will hold large trarrs Of
the FERTILE Creek lands. as there are a
number of them having ten and twelve
members in the family. The largest
IdiniIy OF freedmen yet enrolled bv the
commission contains twenty-one marn-
oers consisting of a husband and U-{fa
and nineteen children.
IN addition 10 an equal share in the
lands and moneys of the Creek Nation.
the freedmen have had and will con-
tlnue 10 have the benefits of the free
SchoOl OF the Creek Nation which only
citizens and freedmen of the nation are
allowed 10 attend. These schools consist
of two orphan homeS-one for Creek In
dianS, the other for Greek freedmen, eight
mission schools. ali OF which are sup
ported by the Creek Nation. and cost over
freedmen are separate from those of the
Creek Indians. and az all schools the
nation furnishes the books for the pupils
The mission schools are known as board
ing schools, ard the nation furnishes each
pupil at these schools with everything ex-
cept wearing apparel. Those attending
the orphan homes are furnished with
everything by the nation.
All things taken into consideration. the
freedmen of the Creek Nation have better
advantages than any other negroes in the /
United States, if not in the world.