The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-01-02
TERRITORIAL LEASES
WILL NOT TERMINATE. BUT ARE
RENEWABLE.
Apprehe nslon ID Unfounded-No Change
la the Con ditions and None
is Contemplated at
Present.

many ARDMoREITE readers, and we
publish 1t for what it is worth:
Washington, Dec. 31.-From COM
munications received at the capital,
1t is evident that men interested in
the cattle business in st. Louis and
the southwest are much disturbed by
the reports that all grazing leases in
the Indian Territory terminate to-
morrow. Reports to this effect have
been circulated freely and have been
repeated in special dispatches to
Chicago and eastern papers. The
matter is one of great Importance not
only in the Territory, but in st. Louis
and Kansas City. It is said that one
firm-the Evans, Buell., Snyder COM
pany-has loans on feeding cattle in
the Indian Territory and elsewhere
on the ranges amounting to s5, 900 900.
If the cattle were to be driven off
suddenly at this season their value
would be lessened and mortgages on
them would in consequence be
impaired.
The Republic correspondent is i'm
formed authoritatively that there is
no ground for this apprehension. No
action has been taken recently which
would disturb the status of cattle
leases in the Indian Territory, and
none Is anticipated at present.
The reports put in circulation no
doubt are based upon misunderstand
ing of the law and of the action taken
by the interior department, under
the law, to provide fer cattle leases
until allotments in severalty to the
Indians in the Eve nations have been
completed by the Dawes commission.
These leases viii not terminate to-
morrow, but are renewable inde-
finitely. Conditions will continue
as they have been since April.
The grazing leases in this Territory
have been, almost exclusively, in the
Greek nation. Some of the other
nations passed tribal ordinances
prohibiting such leases with out
siders. Only "citizen cattle" can be
grazed in the Cherokee ration.
The provision covering leases in
the five nations is section % of the
so-called Curtis act of June %, 1898,
as follows:
"Section %. That all leases of
agricultural or grazing land belong
ing to any tribe, made after the first
day of January, 1898, by the tribe or
any member thereof, shall be abso-
lurely void; and all such grazing
leases made prior to said date shall
terminate on January L, 1900; but
this shall not prevent individuals
from leasing their allotments when
made to them as provided in this
act, nor from occupying or renting
their proportionate share of the
tribal lands until the allotments
herein provided are made"
Without a careful examination of
this section, 1t might seem that all
leases in the Indian Territory,
whether grazing or agricultural, must
terminate not later than January 1,
1900. The final clause, however,
permits the making of leases by the
Indians until such time as allotments
to individuals have been completed.
This work cannot be finished for
some time TO come. Allotments have
not been completed in any of the five
nations, and as there are upward of
5000 citizens in the Greek nation
alone, whose rights to allotments
must be ascertained carefully by the
Dawes commission, it is evident that
the work there will not be finished
in the near future. To enable the
Indian citizens to secure some
revenue from their land in the mean
time, the interior department, several
months ago, authorized the making
of leases to cattlemen under the
final clause referred to.
Last spring land Office was opened
in the Creek nation and claimant
citizens were allowed to declare upon
the 160 acres, where their home
stead was, or to pick out unsolicited
lands and claim them in advance,
for future allotments.
Nearly all the Greek citizens have
made selections under this authority;
and many of them have leased to
cattlemen the lands SO selected
These leases continue for the term
for which they were made and can
then be renewed il final allotments
have not been sooner completed.
They do not terminate tomorrow, ex-
cepting where that date 10 named
for expiration in the lease. The
question of renewal Ia one to be
decided by landlord and tenant,
whether the lease expires tomorrow
or at q future date. The law quoted
states that individuals" are not
preyented from Occupying or rent
ing their proporticnats share of the
tribal lands until the sllotments
herein provided are made"
The lands declared upon and to
which the Indians> astablish their