The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-01-07
INDIAN TERRITORY PROBLEMS
DAWES COMMISSION CONFERS
WITH SEC. HITCHCOCK.
Chairman Dawes on Questions to be DIS
cussed at the meetIna-tie Says the
Indians Cannot be Forced-Sone
Good Results Accomplished.

man Dawes, Col. McKennou and
Tams Bixby, of the Dawes commits
sion arrived in Washington last
night. The commission will confer
with Secretary Hitchcock on the sub
iect of the commissions work in the
Indian Territory.
The conference was called by the
secretary. He is anxious to hear
the views of the commission upon
several of the important problems
growing out of the allotment of the
lands in the Indian Territory, and
receive it's recommendations as to
the amount which will be necessary
to carry on the work during the fol-
lowing year.
Chairman Dawes was seen this
evening and asked what the confer
ence with the chairman was likely to
develop. He said:
al cannot say as to that until after
we have met the secretary and as
certained his purpose in summoning
us here. In a general way, we know
that he is desirous of being informed
of what the commission is doing, but
whether or not he has any particu-
lar line of inquiry, we don't know.
The work of the commission is pro-
crossing satisfactorily. There are
many difficult problems to work out.
lone of these has been referred to
in the press dispatches recently. 1t
is the problem of devising some way
in which the Indian can derive reve-
nue. from such part of his allotment
as is not adopted to agriculture, but
, affords good grazing. Heretofore
the grazing lands have been leased
to cattlemen by the Indians. Grazing
lands can only be made to yield a
good revenue when leased in large
sections. Each Indian receives an
allotment of but 160 acres, and for
; the cattlemeh to get a sufficient
amount of grazing land for his pur-
poses, it would lie necessary 10 per
? feet leases with a large number OF
= Indians.
"There are a number of difficulties
] in the way of this. In the first place
II is not desirable that any Indian
] should lease the whole of his allot-
F. ment. To make a landlord of an In
dian is not putting him in the line oil
progress. There are some white In
= dians, as they are called, who would
be perfectly willing to lease out al
of their allotments, loll around, and
draw the rent. On the other hand
the full-bloods are suspicious, and dc
. not want to lease any of their allot
ments. They do not understand the
new system under which they are
: asked to live, and they cling to theii
land as their safeguard. II they art
unable to work all their allotment
or if a part of it is only good fc
5 grazing purposes, they will profit b!
S that part only which they work.
5 at is desirable that we should tin'
> some happy medium between havinI
: an Indian lease out all of his LAM
: and become a lazy landlord, an
.s having a large part of his land yiel'
Is him no revenue, either because he
Is not able to work it or because it
is fit only for grazing. Just how W
IS are to get around this difficulty l d
Is not know. That is one of the impol
'S tant things which we will undoub
edly consider at the conference L
morrow.
"Another thing which will b
j.. brought up win he the necessity {
. having uniform laws for the Terr
N. tory. Inasmuch as every step whic
is being taken in the territory b;
for it's object the bringing of the
lg, people to a state where they can
~ assimilated with the people of Il
W. va states, it is essential that the
= should be a uniform title to the
lands.
IL ultimately all the tribes of Il
TT territory will have to be brought u
.ue der one government. AS it is no
~ the Choctaws and Chickasaws, u
der their agreement, have title
N. fee to their lands, while the Cher
- kee and Creeks, who are operati
under the Curtis law, can only get
title to the surface of their all
ments. This difference in the chi
i acter of land titles granted woI
cause confusion in the Uuited Sta
courts, which must administer
ate all the tribes, and is one of
not things which will have to be rec
~ fed.
his 1.-THE townsite provision of
eri- Curtis law is giving satisfacti'
hat There are no serious complain
There are several little details
which the law might by changed
II advantage, but it does very W
The granting of titles to prorerhl
. causing an improvement in the &C
munities, which is already mott
able. There is nothing which ma
All SO much for civilization as the d
~ trine of mum and tuum. except
Christian relation. When q q
ard, knows that the property on which