The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-30
WHIT HOT TELL
THE WHOLE TRUTH
To TIE Editor Of Tas Repsssosa !.

y
Alfred s. HarrwsH. under date April
18th. II which. among other things, he
says:
The great diversity in the value Of
these (mesninz Hzwziianl lzuds IS an
insuperable obstacle TO placing them all
under = system which allows the set
tiers 70 secure squ2tfers' titles Tie
grand rush in recent years for the Ok
lahoma lands, when opened for settle
ment. a rush which had TO be checked
by United States troops, shows the grest
difficulty Of securing any approach TO
fairness even when the area of land IS
susceptible Of being placed under guard
until the hour and day when the lands
could be staked out and appropriated
by settlers. To undertake ANYTHING OF
the sort in the widely separated pieces OF
land here, situated as they are on differ
ent Islands, often including almost in
accessible cliffs, covering large tracts of
rocky or volcanic lands, with now and
then highly cultivated rich parcels of
great value, would present a problem
impossible TO solve. If there were an eff
fort to secure fair chance TO all alike
There are many other statements
which the gentleman makes in said ar
ticle which / shall r1t undertake to con-
trovert at this time-not. however. that
such statements ere not susceptible OF
successful controversy, but for the rea-
son that / have no permission to occupy
so much space in your paper. That
granted. l shall be glad to take up each
statement and admit those which are
true and deny and prove those which are
not true.
Mr.. Editor. with your permission, at
this time | shall only present the rea-
sons, and the only reasons, why troops
stood guard at Oklahoma. By an Act of
Congress approved March End. 1889
Us Stats. 1904 the lands in Oklahoma
were purchased, or in other words. ap-
preparation was made to pay for the
lands previously purchased from the
Seminole Nation of Indians by treaty.
The first part of Section IL of said Act
reading as follows:
Section u. That the sum of one
million nine hundred and twelve thou
sand nine hundred and forty-two dol
lars and two cents be and the same is
hereby appropriated. out of any money
in the treasury not otherwise appropri-
ated, to pay in full the Seminole Ma
ton of Indians for all the right, title.
interest and claim which said Nation
of Indians may have in and to certain
lands coded by Article of the treaty
between the United States and said Ma
ton of Indians, which was concluded
June 14th, 1866. and proclaimed August
10th, 1866, and which land was then es-
timated to contain two million one hun
dred and sixty-nine thousand and eighty
acres, but which is now, after survey.
ascertained to contain two million thir-
ty-seven thousand four hundred and
fourteen and sixty-two one-hundredths
acres; said sum of money to be paid as
follows: One million FIVE hundred thou
sand dollars to remain in the treasury
of the United States to the credit of
said Nation of Indians, and to bear in
terest at the rate of FIVE per cent per
annum from July LIST, 1889, said inter
est to be paid semi-anually to the treas
urer of said Nation, and the sum of four
hundred and twelve thousand nine hun
bred and forty-two dollars and two
cents to be paid to such person or per-
sons as shall be duly authorized by the
| laws of said Nation to receive the same,
and in such sum as shall be directed
and required by the legislative authority
of said Nation to be Immediately avail
able; this appropriation to become op-
erative upon the execution by the duly
appointed delegates of said Nation spe-
cially empowered so to do, of release
and conveyance to the United States of
all the right, title, interest and claim
of the said Nation of Indians in and to
/ l. g.,
tory to the President of the United
States: and said release and convey
anee, when fully executed and delivered,
shall operate to extinguish all claims
of every kind and character of said
Seminole Nation of Indians in ana to
the tract of country to which said re-
lease and conveyance shall apply"
From the above it viii readily be
seen that it was the moral and legal
duty of the United States to keep al
settlers out. of said tract until the title
had passed BY the execution and deliy.
cry of the release and conveyance and
the payment of the money therefor. as
provided in the treaty and in the act
of Congress To more fully provide
that no breach of the conditions should
occur in the transfer. Congress. in part
of Section Is of said Act. provided fur
Their: But until said lands are opened
for settlement by proclamation OF the
President. no person shall be permitted
to enter upon and occupy the same. and
no person violating this provision shall
ever be permitted to enter any of said
lands or acquire any right thereto"
When all was completed according &c
treaty and Act of Congress. on the 23rt
day of March. 1889, President Harrison
issued his proclamation, in which, after
describing the lands to be opened to set
tlement and the conditions of entry
closed as follows: will at and aftel
the hour of IL o'clock noon of the 22nt
day of April next. and not before. be
open for settlement under the terms and
subject TO the conditions, limitations and
restrictions contained in said Act of
Congress, approved March 2nd. 1889,
and the laws OF the United States ap-
lplicable thereto. And it is hereby ex-
pressly declared and made known that
no other parts or portions of the lands
embraced within the Indian Territory
than those specifically described and de
clared open to settlement at the time
above named and fixed. are to be con-
sidered as open 70 settlement under tnfs
proclamation or the Act of March md,
1889: and warning is hereby again ex.
preSsiy given that no person entering