The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-05-15
TRIES TO SQUARE
CURTIS BILL
Which the Indians do not
Ike Speaks Through
An Interpreter

okmulgee, 3. T. May little
following is the text Of Repfesen
tatiye Charles Curtis speech to
the Creek legislature, considering the
advieabnity OF ratiiyins the Greek
agreement:
"Mr. Chairman. Kings ana Warriors,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
u did not know that you had any
babies that you wanted to put so bed
this early On the afternoon. They tell
me down here thut when you want to
put the babies 10 bed sou tell them OF
the Curtis bin.
Il assure you, gentlemen. that IL nf-
fords me pleasure % be with you this
afternoon, and while am here ] think
] had better tell you something about
the legislation in regard 70 your people
which you perhaps don't know about,
OF have not heard and in the first place
want 60 say IL YOU don't Ike my
speech this afternoon, blame the inter-
prefer.
"fn the nrsi place I want TO call your
attention to the fact that your people
had failed TO treat with the old Dawes
commission. That was before Mr.. Blk
by. Mr.. Needles and Mr.. Breckenridge
became members Of that body. Because
your tribe and the Cherokees and the
Seminoles. the Choctaws and the Chick
asaws refused 10 treat with the Dawes
commission they proposed certain
measure that perhaps you have not
heard of You had n delegation In
Washington to fight the bill proposed
by Mr.. Dawes and the other members
OF the commission. Because you as a
tribe refused to deal with the Dawes
commission, they termed you violators
OF the constitution and said you had no
rights that congress should respect
"Your delegation, anu some Of them
are here this afternoon. will tell you
that with the single exception Of my
self. congress favored that measure.
and II the bill had become law st
would have wiped the Creek nation and
the other four civilized tribes off the
face Of tie earth without consulting
them in the least ! took the position
the Creeks the semino'es, the Chick
asams, the Cherokee emo the Choctaws
owned 0nd that had been patented 10
them hy the government. and that we
had 10 consult them before we took
the title from them.
go when / proposed the measure
that Is now known as the Curtis bin
No. 2-and / have been abused so much
for passing it--l did 1t TO protect the
five civilized tribes I'm the Indian Terri
toSy The evidence taken before our
committee showed that down here in
the Cherokee nation some people had
IN their possession as much as 10000
or 1900 acres OF land, that down the
Choctaw nation enc man received si5.-
900 a year as royalty on coal ana in
your nation one man had more than
$4,000 acres Of land fenced. ] took the
position mat these men had no right
10 have that spuch land fenced when
SOME OF the members OF your tribe did
not have IA home within whieh they
might i've and no land 20 tim. Under
the law we could not give you title
without lhe consent of the tribe. but
under the Iaw we had the right 90 say
ihat each Individual Indian should have
his share OF the tribal property. and j
prepared my pm Go give each your
tribal share. That s not AN that De- On
that measure. pat IA a provision that
II man had n his posse4gion more
than bis share and any membcr of
your tribe did not have his share, ne
could &c there and take his share. ami
"a the caiefrsfused 20 bring suit 20 put
him IA possessldni that ho could bring
the suit hlmsef The measure also
provided that instead OF amy Individual
getting rich out 81 the towns that