The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-09-16
OlJR wttkLr WASHINGTON LETTER
REPORT OF COMMISSION ON THE
CHEROKEE WARRANTS.
VIII Not be Made Public Now, as ene
Details Would Give the Guilty Par
ties Much Information That VIII
he Used For Their Conviction.
Special to the Ardmoreite.

Washington, D. c., Sept. IA The
announcement that the report oi
the Cherokee Warrant Commission
submitted to the secretary of the in
terror by Special Agent zevally viii
not be made public, has given rise to
much speculation among western
men now in the city as to the causes
which actuated the secretary in
reaching this decision.
For several weeks past stories have
been circulated duplicating promi-
nent ex-federal officials in the issu-
ance of the fraudulent warrants
Names of parties supposed to have
been connected with the transaction
have been mentioned, together with
the amounts each received. 1t is
we'll known that this information
was in the possession of Mr. Zevally
and other members of the commits
sion who made the investigation.
In fact, since the report was agreed
upon, one of the parties accused of
receiving s43, 900 worth of the fraud
ulent warrants has openly boasted
that the report of the commission
would not be made public for rea-
sons which he refused to divulge.
These facts have caused considera-
Bile speculation among the western
people in the city as to the reasons
why the report has not already been
made public, or at least an official
announcement made by the interior
department that fraudulent warrants
have been found to be in existence,
SO as to protect the general public.
When all the facts are known,
however, it will be found that Score
tary Hitchcock has pursued the
proper course. Should the report
of Mr. Zevally be made public now
it would seriously binder and en-
barrass the government in the pro-
curement of evidence for which the
officials are now diligently searching.
For the government to make pub
lie all of the information in its pos
session so that they might take ad-
vantage of it and prevent the
unearthiDg of additional testimony,
which is considered of the greatest
Importance in order to secure con-
v1ctions.
am informed that Secretary
Hitchcock's decision relates only to
the immediate future and that at the
proper time the salient features, if
not the full report, will be made
public. This may not occur until
next win ter. by which time investi-
cations now being conducted will be
concluded. If any ex-tederal offic-
ials have been guilty of participation
in the issuance of fraudulent war
rants, they will be prosecuted with
the same vigor as any citizen of the
Indian Territory who is guilty of
similar offense.
1t is scarcely in the power of Sec
retary Hitchcock to prevent this re-
port from being made public. The
report is very different from one
which is made by special agent of
the interior department, at the di-
rection of the secretary.
The last council of the Cherokee
nation passed a joint resolution
which was approved by Chief Buff
authorizing the appointment
of a commission to make thorough
investigation of all outstanding
Cherokee warrants, two members of
the commission to be appointed by
the chief of the nation and one
member by the seer etary of the in
terror. That act of the Cherokee
council was subsequently ratified by
President Mckinley, and last Febru-
ary Secretary Hitchcock appointed
Mr.. Zevally as the member of the
on the commission. The
two Cherokee members are directed
by the resolution creating the COM
to submit full report to the
Cherokee government, to be trans
mltted to the Cherokee Council at
its next meeting. The Cherokee
council convenes in November, and
ordinarily the report would then be
made public, but it is barely possi-
BILE that it may not, in Difference to
the wishes of the Interior depart
ment, until after the Investigations
now IN progress are concluded.
~
The recent decision of Judge Gill
in the case of Rogers vs. George
Wright, which was a case to compel
Rogers, who was a citizen of the
Cherokee nation, to pay the tribal
mercantile tax imposed by the Cher
okee nation on merchants doing
business in that territory is not
looked upon by the officials here as
foreshadowing the decision of the