The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-07-09
cHlCKAsAW NATION LANDS.
United States sAttorneyJohnson ExpIains
His Position on Land Holdings.


In order that our readers may
fully understand the controversy |
at issue we give the following arti-
Gle taken from last Fridays Dali
las News;
CHICKAsAw NATION LANDS.
Denison, Tex, July 6.-From time
to time there has appeared in diff
ferent papers statements that Dis
trict Attorney Johnson of Ardmore
was going to take steps to prosecute
all who are holding land in excess of
their rightful share of the tribal lands
was states that this amount was $50
acres. Later the statement has ap-
peared that all who were holding in
excess of 800 acres were to be pros
ecuted. Indian officials have denied
that any such order has been issued,
and in reply to a query from the
Denison Herald to Indian Inspector
j. George Wright of Muskogce that
gentleman says:
"Department of tbs Interior, Office
of United States Indian Inspector for
the Indian Territory, Muskogee, /.
T.: The Denison Herald, Denison,
Tex: l am in receipt of your letter
of the 29th ultimo, inclosing a clip
ping from the ARDMoREITE and one
from the Dallas News, wherein it is
stated that District Attorney w. B.
Johnson has received instructions
from the Interior Department to
prosecute all nor -citizens who have
under fence more than their share
of the lands of the tribe, and also to
prosecute all persons, citizens and
non citizens alike, who fence public
roads, and asking whether or not the
department has made such ruling.
I'm reply you are respectfully in
formed that if the department has
sent such instructions to District At
torney johnson know nothing of it.
Very respectfully,
~. GEORGE WRIGHT,
"United States Inspector for In
dian Territory"
Immediately after the Dallas
News arrived here Friday contain
ing the above article from Deni-
son, the ARDMOREITE reporter
called upon VIM. B. Johnson,
United States Attorney, to ascer-
tain what, if anything, he had to
say regarding the matter. He re-
piled he had nothing to say, ex-
cept that he did not believe that
any prominent Indian official had
denied that the order published in
the newspaper had been received
by him. He stated that the letter
of the United States Indian
Inspector, Mr.. Wright, might be
misleading to the public for the
reason that it stated that he knew
nothing of such an order. when,
as a matter of fact, Mr. Wright
and Mr. johnson operate under
separate departments of the gov
ernment
When asked if he had copies of
the letters sent him he replied that
he had, and showed them to the
reporter, but declined to permit
the same published
One of the letters was from A.
c. Tanner, Acting Commissioner
Of Indian Affairs, addressed to the
Secretary of the Interior, dated
June 9, in which Mr.. Tanner stated
that there were several complaints
/ filed in his Office about the unlaw-
ful fencing of more land than a
citizen could hold under the law,
and also obStructing public roads.
! The second letter was from
Thomas Ryan, Acting Secretary of
the Interior, to the attorney gen
eral, dated June 10, incIosing the
letter of Mr.. Tannes, and asking
that instructions be given the
United States attorneys in the In
dian Territory to proceed against
parties violating this law.
The third was letter from the
attorney general to Mr.. Johnson
dated June %, inclosing the above
letters to him and asking that he
give the matter his personal at
tentIOn.
The Curtis bill in section II
rrovi1oc 'tbat ~ shall ba mn la w g.,