The National tribune., 1901-05-30

besides wflful Misrepresentation anC
| false translation to the Indians, as
| charged, to influence their action and in
| duce them to sign the agreement the
! Department was also misled by the certi,
fcate of the Indian Agent that the num-
Der of Indians who did sign it comprised
more than three-fourths of the adult male
membership of the tribe.
The memorial which was adopted al
Mount Scott. nearly eight months before
Congress ratified said treaty, stated that
| if this treaty is ratified We are doomed &c
destruction as a people
Both these letterS-that of the Secre
| tary and of the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs-earnestly advised against the
ratification of the treaty by Congress. and
| called attention TO the fact that said
memorial was signed by 5I1 adult male
members of the tribes; that there were
only 400 names signed to said so-called
treaty, which, as stated by the Secretary
| of the Interior, was % less than three
| fOurths of the whole number of male
members of the tribes over q years of
age; that the number signing said me-
mortal was more than three-fourths of all
the male adult members of said tribes
the whole male membership over q years
of age being 639, according to the aforesaid
letter of the Secretary of the Interior
Notwithstanding the objections of the In
terror Department and the earnest pro-
test and humble petitions of the Indians
| themselves, Congress, after amending said
treaty or agreement in many material
particulars, ratified the same and PIT it
in force, without submitting the agree
ment as thus amended to the Indians for
their approval.
The Kiowa, Comanches and Apache
Indians in Oklahoma Territory are unani-
mously opposed to this so-called treaty:
the signatures to it We're procured by
fraud, misrepresentation, and falSehOOd;
three-fOurths of the adult male members
of the tribes have never signed the same.
and in no respect can said treaty be re-
garded as having been agreed to by the
Indians. Said agreement provides for the
sale of 100000 acres of their land at q
price greatly below its real value, and for
the allotment of other lands, in quantities
100 small for the support of the alIottees,
IN view of the quality of the lands.
The Kiowa, Comanche and Apache
tribes of Indians have time and again,
repudiated said fraudulent treaty Their
delegates have appeared before the Com
mittees of Congress and protested against
the same at every Congress since 1892, ex-
cept the last Congress. and they would
have appeared before the last Congress
had they not been advised by the Indian
a gent that their memorial of Oct Q, 1899,
and the opposition of the Interior Depart
ment would prevent its ratification, and
that 1t was unnecessary for any delega-
tion of Indians to go to Washington to
oppose such ratification.
The undersigned do not believe that
Congress was fully advised of all the facts
when it passed the act to ratify said
agreement; that the act which ratified
said agreement was entitled AN act to
ratify an agreement with the Indians of
the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in
Idaho, and making appropriations to
carry the same into effect" that the
klowa Treaty or agreement was added to
said Fort Hall bill as a rider, and that
Congress was not advised of the fact by
committee reports or in debate; that the
Kowa, COmanche and Apache Indians
had repeatedly repudiated said treaty. and
that the Secretary of the Interior and
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs had
earnestly advised against its ratification.
The kiOwa, Comanche and Apache In
dians regard said so-called agreement as
stupendous fraud upon them, and they
assure you that if said agreement is car
ried into effect by the officials of the
United States it will always be regarded
by them as an act of injustice, spoliation
and robbery.
The undersigned are advised that the
law does not require the President to
issue his proclamation to open the lands
mentioned in said agreement to settlement
until the 9th day of February, 1902. and
that prior to that time Congress could re-