The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-10-12
.ODR Ut[lr WASHINGTON l[TTk
ALLOTMENT OF LANDS ON INDIAN
RESERVATIONS.
DIlstory Work nf lnspeetors-$ome o.
Them Violently Opposed Go the
AnottinG of Lands-Fayer Tri-
bel Form Of GOvernmene.
,pecial 70 the Ardmoreite.

Washington, ID. O., Oct. 10.-A
number OF complaints have recently
been received at the indian office
about the progress now being made
IN the allotment of lands in severalty
to the Indians on the Kiowa, Co
manche aud Apache reservations in
Oklahoma Territory Some of the
complaints 90 so far ms to criticize
the action of the inspectors OF the
interior department now charged
with the work of making the allot-
ments, and quiet intimations have
recently been made that unless the
work progressed more rapidly in the
future than in the past that congress
will be asked in December to insti-
tute an Investigation.
Last winter congress passed q bill
which became law on June 6, pro-
viding for the opening of the reser-
walton to settlement and the allot-
ment of q portion Of the lands to
the Indians. The bill provided that
three months after the act became q
law the reservation should be thrown
open to settlement and the allot-
ments to the Indians should be COM
pieted unless, in the discretion of
the secretary of the interior, o further
extension of time was necessary, in
which event Secretary Hitchcock
was empowered with authority to
extend the time for the opening Of
the reservation to settlement ninety
days longer, but in no event should
the work of allotting the lands and
the opening of the reservation ex-
ceed six months from the passage of
this act.
Unfortunately for the inferior de-
partment no provision, in the shape
of an appropriation. was made for
carrying out the provisions of the
; law, and the mistake was not dis
covered until after congress had
adjourned. Secretary Hitchcock,
however, made the best Of the situa-
ton and deputized three of the eight
special agents of the department,
appointed for other work, to proceed
Immediately to the Kiowa, Comanche
and Apache reservation in Okla
J homa and commence the work OF
allotting the lands to the Indians.
On the 10th of July special agents
Nesler, Reynolds and Hawley ar
rived and entered upon their duties.
For some reason the allotting of the
land to the Indians progressed so
slowly that 1t became evident that at
the rate the special agents were now
moving it would take two or three
'ears to complete the work that
ongress had declared In no event
houid require more than six months.
J l is said by reliable parties return
. II g from the reservation that on
ptember Is the total allotments
m ,de by the inspectors'to the Indians
w, only II. as follows:
dt wiley. 10
Ne Ter ....................
Re. nolds. ....... O
| 4OJeSA Z
I Al the Indians on this reservation
nun Der 3,696, every one of them is
emit led to an allotmentthe certainty
that the inspectors will not be able
to &C mplete their work, at the pres
ent ate of progress being made, by
the h day of December, the limit
of the time fixed by the law becomes
at onae apparent.
It il said that the reason given by
the sr ecial agents for the delay In
making allotments isthat the Indians
oannos be induced to make their Sc
lections. This explanation, however.
, can hardly be considered q valid
one for congress provided for just
such contingency as this in direct
ing that unless the Indians made
their selections without unnecessary
delay the special agents were to
J proceed and make the selections for
them. This would not require one
tenth the time that would be requir-
ed in surveying and recording the
selections, as in the latter case the
special agents could simply sit in
their Offices with q map before them
and assign the lands to the Indians
without personally visiting the ter
ritory.
The latter part of September the
Rock Island railroad, which has evil
denced the greatest interest in OPEN
ing this reservation to settlement,
saw that the allotments could not be
completed by the time fixed by law
for the opening of the reservation,
and sent Mr.. Evans, one OF their
attorneys, to Washington for the
purpose of submitting q proposition
to the secretary Of the interior, In
which they offered to furnish at their
own expense sufficient competent
men to conclude the allotting before
the first day OF December. At first
the proposition was looked upon IA
vorably by the department, but later
1t was discovered that the fed
eral statutes prohibited the accept
ance OF such tender, providing that
no gratuitous services can be ac-
c0Dt0d hv tha ofF7oara ~ kho ..o.,o