The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1898-11-14

| liens in the future. They might
be made q part Of the records OF
the Executive department from
which certificates could there be
given I did not feel authorized
under existing law to take charge
of them, and not being a legal GUS
todian no certified copies of them
could have been given from the
Executive Office.
FINANCE.
There are other and more serious
infractions of our treaties in the
last act of congress. Section 10
provides: "That no payment of
any monies on any account what
ever shall hereafter be made by
the government of the United
States to any of the tribal govern
ments, or to any officer thereof, for
disbursement, but payment of all
sums to members of said tribes
shall be made under direction of
the Secretary Of the Interior by an
officer appointed by him; and our
semi-annual annuities due July
LIST, 1898, have not as yet been
disbursed although certified lists
of outstanding warrants against the
several funds were furnished the
Secretary of the Interior ON Aug
ust Goth, 1898. What right the
United States government has to
SO arbitrarily withhold our funds,
and em5arass our educational in
stitutions other than the power, is
not apparent, it certainly has
neither legal nor moral right. An
other provision of this act to which
I desire to invite your attention is
Section 26, which provides:
"That on and after the passage
of this act, the laws of the various
tribes or nations of Indians shall
not be enforced at law or in equity
by the courts of the United States
in the Indian Territory"
Since our courts were abolished
by this same act and the United
States courts prohibited from en-
forcing our laws, we have had no
means at hand of collecting our
revenues, and as consequence
little, if any revenue has been COL
lected since this provision of the
act of congress has become known.
The revenue report of the Treas
urer shows that including S11 1885,
S3 collected for board at our High
Schools for the benefit of our
school fund, $50, ,238.S7 was col
lected during the past year. In
this connection | desire to call your
attention to making some provision
for the collection of the remaining
installments due from the sale of
intruder improvements. These
Improvements were sold under the
law and were to be paid for in six
annual installmenls to the sheriffs
of the several districts. On some
only one, aud on none have more
than two paymenrs been made.
The offices of Sheriff have been
abolished, and it will be necessary
for you to provide means for the
collection of the remainder due, as
we'll for the sale of any other i'm
provements now in the illegal
possession OF intruders. recon-
mend that the office of Revenue
Collector be created with the same
duties as respects the collection OF
this special revenue as were here
tofore exercised by the several
sheriffs. lfthe President approves
it, in my judgment it can be en-
forced.
PUBLIC DEBT.
Our public debt has been care
fully calculated and October goth,
1898, the outstanding warrants
against the several funds were:
General fund 1898, ,805.58; School
fund SAG, 6,334.31; Orphan fund s10,-
49l 80; and Insane Asylum fund
Sc, ,50O.73. 1t should be remem-
bered that our last semi-annual
annuities have not yet been paid
and of course the above amounts
will soon be lessened to the amount
of the annuities. Our total invest
ed fund drawing FIVE per cent
interest in the possession of the
United States government amounts
toS2, 716, $685. and OF this amount