The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-10

tel accommodations in the interior of the
various nations. even where towns of
moderate size had sprung up, and for the
commission to secure suitable food and
lodging in the more sparsely settled dis
tricts and among the full-bloods was not
TO he thought of. There could be no
question, however. as TO the desirability
if not the absolute necessity OF the COM
mission visiting well distributed points
throughout the interior, as in no other
manner could the full-bloods be induced
to present themselves for enrolment, and
any other method would entail too much
expense upon the applicants.
The commission therefore purchased
the necessary equipment for its mainte-
nance IN the field, such as tents for Of
fee. sleeping, dining and cooking pur-
poses, kitchen utensils, wagons and mules
for transporting the equipment from
pace to place, and such supplies as were
necessary for the subsistence of the party
and the transaction of business.
Prior 20 the passage of the Curtis
Act the commission had devoted some
time TO the enrolment of the Creeks The
effort, however, was attended with only
partial success, owing TO the favorable
sentiment entertained by the full-bloods
toward the blanket policy and their
revulsion of feeling toward a change of
conditions, in which they were supported
by the principal chief, himself full
blood. Provisions of the Curtis Act not
only required additional information to
be secured in connection with each citi-
zen's enrolment, but required separate
roll of Cherokee freedmen with addi-
tional restrictions. The information al
ready secured in the Creek nation was,
therefore, not sufficient to comply with
the law, and the commission found it
necessary to include that nation in its
plans for enrolment work Appoint
ments were made and advertised by meth
DDS best adapted for the class of people
to be reached. covering the Seminole
Creek and Chickasaws nations. in the or
der named, and extending to November,
1888
The Seminoles are the fewest in num-
bers of the five tribes, and their govern
ment has been free from corruption. The
rolls of the tribe, while crude in measure,
were found free from ali irregularities
of fraudulent character. The chief diff
ficulties experienced by the commission IN
| their enrolment arose from the fact that
very few well-est ablished family names
exist, and applicants were not always
able 70 give such information regarding
parentage, relationship, ETC., as is nee
| essary to make rolls descriptive of the
persons thereon and from the further
fact that "ery few of the Seminoles
speak English. Internarriage with a
| citizen of the Seminole does not confer
citizenship on the non-citizen so inter-
| marrying, and there are therefore no in
termarried citizens to be enrolled in that
nation. Indeed 1t is essentially nation
! of full-bloods, save as to it's colored citi-
zens, who, under treaty provision. are on
an equal footing with the citizens by
| blood. About one-third of the citizens of
the Seminole nation are freedmen, and
while the law does not specifically re-
| qure a separate roll of each of these
! cases, the. commissions data will enable
it to separate them. The preliminary
roll Of the Seminoles has been completed,
| but as no date has yet been fixed after
! which children born to citizens shall not
be added. the roll can not be closed.
MANY more difficulties presented them
| selves to the commission in the enroll
ment of Creeks and their enrolment
was not completed at the appointments
made. Their enrolment however, is
gradually being effected. as will appear
under another head.
| Particularly difficult is the enrolment
| of Creek freedmen, whose rights thereto
! are dependent upon their names or that
! of their ancestors appearing upon the
| roll made by J. w. Dunn Omitted States
Indian agent prior to March Il, 1867, OF
upon admission to citizenship by proper
! authority since that time. The colored
population of the Creek Nation is large
| and--it is safe to say that not dozen
! freedmen in the entire nation at the time
of the passage of the Curtis Act knew
or remembered that there was ever a roll
made by ]. W Dunn yet so rapidly does
the coiored race transmit information OF
this character from one to another that
nearly every man, woman and child in
the nation now recognizes the Importance
| of being on the Dunn roll or being q
| descendant Of some one who was: and
so persistent are they in their efforts &C
| establish a status hereunder that the
strictest and most vigilant care must be
exercised in the Identification Of appli-
cants.
'The chief difficulty in this regard lies
IN the fact that the Dunn roll 50 called
was prepared Immediately after the
adjustment of slavery, at which sur
a1nes among slaves were practically I'M
| ha Cfl
en- name was necessary, the names o!
! former masters were assumed. and ia wa!
by this method, largely, that Major Dunr
| enrolled the Creek freedmen n 1871
| Since that time. however. a very iars'
per cent OF the Creek freedmen have
changed their names, and. indeed, many
are equally well known by several names
After period of forty years It is no
an easy matter 10 identify those whose
names appear on the roll in question. i
view of the fact that each freedman
who is found entitled 10 enrolment vii
receive nearly two hundred acre sof land
and that most families will thus receive
several hundred acres, it is not surprisin:
that considerable effort should be made
by these people to get on the rolls
Many Of those row claiming have beer
recognized by the tribe as citizens an'
been enrolled one or more times on TT
bal rolls, without having been ADMITTED
by act Of council or otherwise legally &C
curing tha. enrolment. That a mono
tary consideration has been the medium
bv which both freedmen and others hav'
| in some Instances gained admission q
the tribal rolls can not be questioned, an
as the law authorizes ahe commission Z
I f.-s--.. ..t. 1000 sror1 The .rfha