The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-27
MORE INDIAN
LANDS FOR
SETTLEMENT
Soon Be Available for Leas-
ing to HOmeSeekers.
NOT TO BE GIVEN Away
Belong TO indians and Must
Be Paid For.

washington. Aug. 26.-The recent tele-
graphic information coming from Ard
more, !. T, announcing the completion
Of the appraisement of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw lands. indicates the rapid ap-
proach Of the time when these lands Will
be allotted and the two tribes, together
with the other Indian nations in the In
dian territory. viii assume q new status
in their relations to the people Of the
tinted stafeg Tt means that within a
comparatively short time the i've civil
Iized strr5gs1 viii ceass'tosexist as an in
dependent factor and their identity, like
their lands. will be merged with those OF
the whites.
This change of status of the tribes
raises the question by what means white
homeseekersr may acquire possession Of
The surplus lands under the well defined
provisions of the statutes enacted by
congress. 1t is evident that many per-
sons have imbibed a strong dose of mis-
Information on this subject. Some are
under the impression that lands in the
Indian territory may be acquired by
somewhat similar methods under which
Oklahoma was originally opened to white
settlement, afterwards the Cherokee
strip, and quite recently the Kiowa, Co
manche and Apache and the Wichita
resewations-that IS to say. either by the
methods described as a horse race or that
introduced with regard to the disposition
OF the lands in the Kiowa and Wichita
reservations. known as the lottery sys-
TEN. This is a mistake The lands in
the Indian territory, part of which are
now nearly accessible and the remainder
of which viii undoubtedly be ready in the
course of some months, are on an entirely
different plane from the lands heretofore
opened. Their title is in the Indians, and
the United States government, through
its commissioners. merely acts as an
agent for the five tribes.
Agreements providing for the dissOlu-
tion of the tribal governments and the
allotment of the lands in severalty have
been made with the Seminoles, the
Creeks, the ChoctaWs and the Chicka-
saws: and only the Cherokees, who twice
refused to confirm agreements to this
end, are outside of the fold and subject
to the provisions Of the act for the pro-
lection of the people Of the Indian ter
ritory," known as the Curtis act.
in the case of the Choctaws and
Chickasaws. the provisions relating to the
allot1nents and alienation of their lands
are specifically set forth in the agree
ment made with the Choctaws and
Chickasaws April %, 1897. as amended by
congress. These aIotments were direct
cd TO be made so as to give each mem
bers of these tribes so far as possible
fair and equal share thereof /. e.. the
lands in conmon), considering the char
acter and fertility of the soil. and the 10
cation and value of the lands"
Quoting the provisions of the act of
congress confirming the treaty, "all the
lands allotted shall be non-taxable while
the title remains in the original aHottee.
but not to exceed twenty-one years from
date of patent. and each allottee shall
select from his allotment a homestead Of
$50 acres, for which he shall have a separ-
ate patent and which shall be inalienable
for twenty-one years from date of pat
eut. This provision shall also apply TO
the Choctaw and Chickasaw freedman
TO tn extent of his allotment Gorty
acres) Selections for homesteads for
minors to be made as provided herein in
case of allotment, and the remainder of
the lands allotted to said members shall
be alienable for price to be actually
paid. and TO include no former indebted
ness or bligation-one-fourth of said re-
mainder in one year, one-fourth in three
years and the balance of said alensbIe
lands in five years from the date of the
patent.
THAT all contracts looking to the sale
or incumbrance in any way of the land
of an anottee. except the sale hereinbe-
fore provided, shall be nufl and void No
allottee shan lease his allotment. or any
portion thereof. for a longer period than
five years. and then without the privil-
ege of renewal. Every lease which is not
evidenced by writing. setting out speci- (