The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-07-24

Of not more than s5oo ofbs inpris-
onsd mot more than twelve u11bths
on 10th, mt the dfscresion 81 the
court trying the case.
In the performance'of the work OF
cutting timber and quarrying stone
it is provided that the contractor |
shall pay reasonable wages to his
employees, and that In all 'cases
where it is practicable the members
OF the tribe shall be given the pref
ererce over white men. TIE object
of this is-to encourage industfy and
thrift among the Indians. &4S3xfl
In conclusion the SECRETARY re-
serves the right to raise the price OF
material contracted for at any time
when, In his discretion, the contract
price4s unreasonably low.
It is expected that there will be 9
general howl 60 up from railway and
other corporations desiring to utilize
this timber against these sregula-
tions, ms they are far more stringent
than was expected by the agents of
the companies who secured the
legislation. Under the above in
structions to the Indian agents tim
Der can only be cut on sgricultural
lands desired to be cleared, and then
only with the express consent Of the
temporary alIottees. Before any
cutting can be done. however, an
application must be submitted to
the secretary of the interior and APP
proved by him. AS Secretary Hitch
cock has been interested at various
times In the construction of railways,
he is particularly well versed In the
price of ties. and it is stated on
reliable authority that the timber of
the Indians will not be allowed to be
disposed of at prices below the mar
ket quotations. In addition to this,
no timber can be'exported from the
Territory for the construction of new
lines Of road, the very object sought
by the promoters of the legislation,
who desired to obtain pcstoak ties
for the construction of new lines,
not only In the Territory but in the
States. ~ esf' -
APPRAIsING TOWNSHIP PROPERTY.
There Ia a provision In the Curtis
act which will be enforced relating
TO the surveying and appraising OF
townsite property. In the Indian
appropriation bill which passed last
winter m king appropriation for the
present iscal year, a changewas au-
thorized in the townsite appraise-
ment boards. Under this new law
the citizens of any of the towns in
Territory can survey and plat their
own town IL they SO elect, defraying
all expenses themselves. The same
privilege Is accorded to the people
of the Cherokee and Creek nations,
bat to the present time there have
been no applications for such au-
thority. The law vested in the Sec
retary of the interior absolute con-
troll oyer this work, and left 1t dis
cretionary with him as to how il
could be best effected. AS q result
the secretary has decided to appoint
a corps of surveyors in the Cherokee
and Greek nations to survey the
towns. The sppraisement boards
which have already been at work in
the Territory, notably at Wagner.
Muskogee, South McAlester and Ard.
more.
For more than q year the boards
at Muskogee and Wagner have been
at work and still the maps of the
towns which are being prepared by
the engineers are not yet completed,
thus rendering the townsite boards
of little value, as their work does
not properly commence there until
after the towns have been surveyed
and plated and the work of .ap-
praisement begun. AS soon as the
towns are surveyed and plated then
the secretary proposes to appoint
townsite boards, probably not in ex-
cess of three or four, which will
follow up the surveying corps from
city to city and appraise the prop.
erty. This work will be done In the
t Cherokee and Creek nations under
the provisions Of the Curtis Act,
though the final appraised value
may be fixed by subsequent treaties,
as 1t Ia hardly probable that the as
sessments will be collected until after
congress re-conYenes. Under the
provisions of the Curtis Act all inn
proved townsite property is to be
paid for at one-haf it's appraised
value. while unimproved property is
to be paid for at it's face value. 1t
has been contended all along by the
people of the two nations, par
ticularly the white people
owning the large majority
OF the city property. that this was
an exorbitant rate; that the principal
value of this property had been given
it by the improvements placed in the
Territory by the white people. It il
desired now to secure q modification
OF the treatiee now pending as to re-