The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-28

Gazette addressed series OF very
plain questions to lie Dawes COM
mission upon rules that would gov
ern allotments in the Choctaw ma
tion, requesting q reply for publ
cation. and the answers received
from Tams Bixby shed a good deal
of light ppon a muchly vexed
problem.
The following are the questions
and the answers thereto:
The commission is in receipt of
your letter of the 3rd instant. in
which you submit the following
questions to be answered by the
commission in order that same may
be published in your paper, stat
ing that the matter would be much
appreciated Ivy the public:
/. Will the oldest rightful
claimant to a 160-acre tract of
land be entitled to it as part of
his allotment; or just to such 40
acre tracts as he may have i'm
provements on?
2. If an. allottee cannot get
160 acres from one Of his fields
will be be allowed to take the bal
ance from another field some dis.
tance away-say 80 acres in bot
tom field and 80 acres on the up
land where his home isl
3. Where one citizen has more
land than he can take for his en-
tire family at the first allotment,
will he be permitted to hold it and
keep others from taking it as their
allotment?
4.(a) Some time ago an article
purporting to come from the
Dawes commission went the rounds
of the Territory press to the effect
that if one citizen, A, had more
land than 16O acres each for each
member cf his family. another cit-
izen, B. could give A notice of ten
days to file on what part he wanted
to allot, then B could allot the ex-
cess. Is it true? If so; (b), will
A be allowed to remove his houses,
fences, etc., from that part that B
allots7 (c) Presumably that year,
who would be entitled to the rents
of such lands, A or B?
5. Will freedman be allowed
to take his allotment from first
class landf
6. If freedmen are allowed to
take first-class lands, will they be
entitled to 40 acres, or only as
MUCK as would equal that amount
of average lands?
In reference to your first inquiry
we have to say that the commits.
sion can not lay down any particu-
lar ruling in matters of that kind.
The facts in the cases vary SC
widely that it would be impossible
to make any one ruling to fit all
cases. In all instances where there
is conflict as to who is entitled
to select a given tract of land in
allotment, the parties at interest
will be given new hearing by the
commission and they will be per.
mitted at such hearing to offer any
evidence which they may see fit tc
submit in support of their claims
With reference to your second
inquiry, you are advised that the
commission will not require thai
the land comprising a 16O-acre
homestead be contiguous.
With reference to your third in
quiry you are advised that in the
opinion of the commission tht
rules and regulations of the honor
able secretary of the interior pro
viding that citizens of the Choctav
and Chickasaw nations may selec
160 acres of land as homesteads
and that the remainder of tn,
lands in those nations be left ope1
for selection by other members O
these tribes was promulgated il
order that each citizen of thes,
tribes might secure at least 16l
acres of good land for his home
A citizen will be permitted to ex