The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-19

past 20 years at least z00, 600 white peO-
pie have lived here and carried on busi-
ness we'll protected in all !, rights of
property business and social affairs
when obeying the laws and rulings of
Indian department, representing and
holding q of nearly $50, 600, 600 of per-
sonal property in the towns of the sew
raj nations and doing 80 per cent of the
business of the country.
To give your readers some idea of the
commercial interests of the Indian Ter
ritory transacted without any bond OF
territorial government by this 100000
people it is very necessary to call at
tention to its banks with $3,500,000 cap
ital and $S.000000 deposits, $4,000, 900 in
mines, with 100000 cattle and other
stock without mentioning what is in
vested in cotton, corn, wheat and other
values. All this has been accomplished
without any form of government and
with less than one acre in every hum
dred being in cultivation out of 14.00,-
900 acres of farming land.
The only Indians who have received
their allotment are the Creek Indians
Each legal citizen of Indian blood has
100 acres. The treaty provides that af
ter the allottee receives his or her deed
he can sell 120 acres of this $50, when
approved by the secretary of the inter-
ior, and after five years from the date
of the ratification of the treaty, May,
1901, they may sell 120 acres without re-
striction, and that they may lease their
land for term of one year, before they
get their deed, and after they get their
deed they may lease it for one or for
any number of years. The allOttee can
not sell 40 acres of his allotment until
the expira ton of 81 years. He or she
can lease it or their children's land af-
ter the deeds are in their possession No
doubt the secretary of the interior will
insist that the allottee gets the top price
for his 120 acres at what it has been
appraised, while he has the approval of
sale, but when a fair and reasonable
I compensation has been agreed on there
| is no doubt the secretary will approve
all deeds when he knows the allottee is
getting near the value of his land and
will get his money. The agricultural
lands have been graded and appraised
| on the basis of Sc. IS to SIS per acre.
/ and they are good lands and rated low.
The deed to the Creek lands will be
shortly ordered issued to the allottees.
| The Quay Cherokee allotment bill opens
up a way to get land in the Cherokee
nation, and the other nations will be
allotted by this time in 1903.
| Titles to town property in the Greek
i nation can be had as most of the towns
! in that nation have been resurveyed
! plated and appraised. Titles to all
| town property in the several nations is
| secured when the provisions of the laws
are complied with. There is no trouble
| whatever even where the towns have
| not been appraised and plated. Every
| one who improved his property gets his
| lOt at One-HdlI the appraised Vdlue, not
counting the improvement on the lot
All unimproved lots must bring their full
appraisement, part cash down and the
rest on deferred payments.
| There are many attractive business
| towns both old and new where there
| is no danger of loss. One of the new
| towns which is attracting attention
| Spokogee, is located on the line of the
Fort Smith and Western railway owned
| by that road. 1t is 35 miles west OF
Eufaula, 90 miles southwest of 0krnulr
| gee, 35 mi s northwest of Holdenville
and about 30 miles southwest of Mus
kogee, in one of the richest portions OF
] the Creek nation for farm purposes and
near the center of the coal bed. Bust
| ness lots are 25x140 and resident lots 50S
| 140 selling at $25 cash each lot. There
! are other towns with good futures, in
| formation of which can be had by adj
| dressing I. N. Jury, Muskogee, I. T.
| or myself at Vinita, I. T.
WILLIAM HIGGINS.
| -Vinita, 1. T., July, 1902