Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-11-23
CHEROKEE T0WNSITES.
Commissioner Jones Favor
able to Town lot Owners.

NAN -
townsites, and the report is quite
favorable to lot owners in the
Cherokee nation. A recognition
of the rights OF those Cherokee
citizens who have purchased and
improved lots, paying fair price
for them, is a prominent feature
in the report. Following is what
he says:
On account of the insufficiency
OF appropriations and of the strong
opposition in the Cherokee and
Greek nations, the department de-
cided that for the present no town
site commissions would be ap-
pointed for the towns in those ma
tions. The town of Muskogee,
however, in the Greek nation, was
almost destroyed by fire this year,
and the people of the town repre-
sented that it would be a great
saving to them if the department
would appoint a commission at
once TO lay out the town so that
the rebuilding should be in con-
formity with the government sur
vev of the town. Therefore this
office agreed with Inspector Wright
in recommending that a commits
sion for Muskogee be appointed
under section 10 of the act, which
was done.
The town OF Muskogee is one of
the most important, if not the
most important. town in Indian
Territory. 1t has a population OF
between 5000 and 5000, is the
headquarters of the Union agency,
of the Dawes commission and OF
the inspector for the Indian Ter
ritory. 1t is also one of the places
where the U. S. court sits. The
office understands that the prelim-
mary survey of this town is about
completed, and that it will take
about four months with the en-
ployes now engaged in the service
of the commission to complete the
permanent survey and submit the
plat for approval.
The town of Wagner also ex-
perienced a destructive fire. and a
commission has been appointed
for that town. This commission
has but just entered on its duties.
EXCEPTIONAL CASES.
There is one situation IN the
Cherokee nation which may be
deemed of sufficient Importance to
demand a modification of the
townsite law; so far as relates to
that nation. The Cherokee ma
ton is the only one of the Five
Civilized Tribes which had any
provisions for laying out OF town
sites or establishing towns. In
the Cherokee nation there was a
townsite law under which commits
sioners were appointed who laid
off the lands where a town was to
be built and sold lots to citizens OF
the nation, payments being made
in installments. In this way most
of the towns in that nation have
been established, and the lots are
in the ownership or possession of
citizens who acquired this owner
ship or possession for valuable
consideration paid to the nation.
Some correspondence has been re-
ceived in this Office from parties,
who are still in debt, to the rsation
for town lots purchased under this
arrangement, in EIaich they have
asked vhasther they should con-
finue to pay 20 the Indian agent
now-of course for the benefit of
the nation-the balances on their
Indebtedness for the lots purched.
The office instructed the agent to
collect these balances due from
citizens for town lots, but advised
that the parties paying the same
should he permitted to do SO under
protest, so that any rights they
may have might be preserved.
Under section Is of the act un-
improved lots are regarded es the
property of the naticn are sold at
auction to the highest bidder at
not less than the appraised value.
No hardship can follow this rule
in the Greek nation nor IN the
Choctaw and Chickasaw nations,
but in the Cherokee nation, where,
under the law, citizens thereof
have purchased from the national
authorities the lots in a town, and
in some instances paid high prices
for them, it would naturally
follow that they should be given a
preference to purchase the same
lots in case OF sale by the govern
ment under the tOwnsite law con.
tanned in the Curtis act. OF
IL