The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-14
LAWS FOR TAE indian
Outline of Proposed LegisIa-
ton for the Territory.
OF MISSISSIPPI CHOCTAWS
Their PreCariouS Material and
Legal Footing.
OF MISSISSIPPI CHOCTAWS

Guthrie, o. T., April 13.-A special dis
patch from Washington says; The legis-
latIon now pending before congress in
which the Indian territory is interested,
has been recently attracting considerable
attention. In the senate the same has
been included in senate bills Nos. 1742 and
1893; in the house in bills Nos. 1881 and
S566. and an amendment has been made
to the Indian appropriation bill, which
has been reported by the senate commit
tee. In addition to this there has now
been offered for approval by the senate
a treaty made with the Choctaws and
Chicasaws. and it IS understood there will
be in short time submitted for consid-
Grafton a treaty with the Creeks and one
with the Cherokees.
This legislation may be divided into
that which applies to the Indian coun-
try generally and that which has special
application TO the separate tribes. The
Dawes commission has been in Washing
ton about four months and its desires are
embodies in senate bill No. 2S93. Thi bill
has been bitterly attacked by the rep
resentatives Of those people whose inter
ests are directly involved, upon the the
Org that the same was calculated to pro-
tect the Indian nation and to jeopardiZe
isdividual rights in the territory. It's first
provision gave the absolute right to the
Dawes commission to render judgments,
which, when fled in the district court.
to- oil
parties who were non-citizens. This was
objected to because it extended the au-
thority in lieu of the courts, and for the
further reason that by this wording, all
parties whom they adjudged to be non
citizens were, pending an appeal, or
pending thee revision of the rolls by the
secretary of the interior. liable to be
elected from the lands they occupy.
The second provision Of the bill pro-
vided that in the smaller towns Of the
Indias territory which are at present with
out anymethod of obtaining title and are
not protected by the townsite provisions
Of the Curtis act, the Dawes commits
sion should have the right to appraise
the improvements, and the party owning
the same should not be elected until the
appraised value was paid to them. This
is oh iected to for the same reason. that
il extends judicial power to the Dawes
commission, that it interferes with town
site matters and is intended to supersede
authority over townsite boards. that Il
grants no remedy for existing conditions,
a. it affords no method OBJ obtaining title.
The further provisions of this bill pro-
vide for the bringing OF a suit In the
court Of claims by the Mississippi Choc-
t.ws residing in Mississippi asd alo for
re bringing of nit in the district court
or behalf Of the ntermarried citizens in
TIE court OF claims. These two provisions
ere also included in the other bills re-
ferred to in both the house and senate
% that. as the Dawes commission has
i9proved them, they seem to be asking
for this legislation in various ways.
The term mississippi Choctaws'' seems |
o have been misunderstood by the de-
Lartment Of the Interior or by the Dawes |
commission, according to one of the rep
resentahves of the Indians from Vinita. |
When the Choctaw nation sold out lands !
in Mississippi in 1880, they provided in the |
treaty that those of its people who did |
not care to remove to their new country |
in the west and who desired to take an
allotment of land and become citizens Of |
what was then the states, could do so |
And a large number Of Choctaws remain |
ed in the state of Mississippi. The af- |
fairs Of congress were not at that time |
administered as they are today, and many |
Choctaws who were entitled to lands |
failed to get them. An investigation run |
ming through several years has confirmed |
this fact, and from 1880 until 1850 various |
families started from Mississippi to go to |
the Choctaw nation in the Indian terri
tory. They We're poor people, these In
dams. but on account of their location
had learned to work. and some of them
eot as far as northern counties Of Texas.
others IN Missouri and a portion reached /
the territory.
They were at all times recognized by
the Choctaw nation as citizens. with the |
exception of the fact that they were not
entitled to participate in the annuities of |
the tribe, that provision being one Of |
the provisions OF the treaty. There stil |
remained in Mississippi, however. the de-
Ecendants of those who did not leave the
state and these people have no desire to
50 to the Indian territory. The suit re-
ferred TO is on their behalf, and so far
as is shown is not at their solicitation.
hut is really 4 suit which would benefit
the attorneys who represented the Chloe
taw nation and the attorneys who appear
for these Indians. IL any were employed
The bill, or portion Of the bill. pro-
vides that the secretary of the Interior
should select counsel. while another part
provides for the ratification OF contracts
made.
II Is contended by those Choctaws in
the nation who were not on the rolls and
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