The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-11-05

St1orAp1sd s rsrnlal = ~ ~ ~
|inf ouf 81 townsltss, ana undek 80
Iiaws 81 he nation most q the 1owna
Iof any importnnce had been laid out
by commissions appointed for that
purpose, and tie town lots had been
sold by these commissioners to citi-
sens OF the nation. Many of the per-
sons who have purchased these town
lots have written to the commission
or stating that they have not paid to
the nation all that was due and ask
ing advice a. to whether or not they
should make further payments. The
| Indian ofice has advised the agent
| to collect these and other payments
under protest from the parties max
! ing the payment, with view Of pro-
tscting the parties when the towns
come to be purchased and sold. Un-
der the Curtis law. section 10, all nm
improved lands are to be sold ct not
less than their appraised value at
public auction. Now in the Cherokee
nation these unimproved lands have
been purchased from the nation and
the purchase money has gone into
the treasury of the nation and the
| nation received the benefit. The
commissioner expressed the opinion
that justice to the parties who have
purchased, demands that section 10
of the Curtis law shall be amended
so that they shall not be required to
pay more for fee simple title than
would be q fair and reasonable diff
ference between the occupancy title
of purchase from the nation and such
fee simple; In other words, so that
the nation shall not be enriched at
the expense of the citizens who pur-
chase IN good faith under the laws.
Little is said in the annual report
about the work of the Dawes COM
mission. On this subject the report
begins with the statement that the
Indian Office was without informa-
ton as to what was done by the
Dawes commission prior to the pas
sage of the Curtis law, except what
had come to the Office in an informal
way. Since the passage of the Curtis
law, the department having adopted
the policy of having the Indian Ter
ritory matters reported through the
Indian office, important information
has been received as to the work of
the commission.
Mention is made of the provision
In the Seminole agreement requiring
the commission to secure by pur-
chase, on behalf of the Seminole
tribe. tract of land to the east of
the Seminole nation to be added to
their nation for the purpose of CIV
ing adequate allotments to the citi-
zens of that nation, and to the cor
respondence which occurred on the
subject between the department and
the Indian office, and the Dawes
commission, which discloses the fact
that the Greek nation is indisposed
to cede any land at s1.25 per acre
for the purpose.
A statement is also made of certain
rules and regulations prescribed by
the secretary of the Interior on Oc-
tober z, 1897, providing for the estab-
lishment of q so-called land office by
the Dawes commission for the pur-
pose of receiving declarations by
the citizens of the nation in the Ter
ritory and description and quantity
of land desired by each as their per-
manent allotment, to be consum-
mated in the future, and also the
leases of these preliminary allotments
as their quota by the Dawes commits
sion. The only nation, it seems,
where such An Office has been estab-
lished is in the Creek nation, where
large number, over 800, leases
have been made by the citizens of
the nation.
Prior to the Curtis act the Greek
nation was overrun by cattle men
who had, through the influence of
few citizens of the nation, obtained
leases of large tracts of the public
domain Notwithstanding section %
of the Curtis act was intended for
the purpose, more than anything
else, of annulling these leases and
securing the removal OF the cattle
men from the Creek nation. By
these regulations of the department,
as executed by the Dawes commits
sion and the department the bold
ing of these cattlemen in the Greek
nation is perpetuated under form
of law. The commissioner of Indian