The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-08-25
DAWES COMMISSION
Summary Of Labor Done During
the Past year.
Trouble with the FuIIbIOuds
Tribal Relations to be Dissolved.
Installation of Social Con
ditions Almost
Completed.

The report of the Dawes COM
mission for the year ending june
80, 1902, has been made public at
the interior department. The
most inn ortant feature of It is a
summary of the work done by the
commissioner disolving the tribal
relations ofthe five civilized tribes.
Supplementary TO the report is q
statement from Tams Bixby, act
ing chairman OF the commission.
in which he expresses the belief
that the final work of the commls-
sion is now in condition 10 be con
clnded within a very few years.
Nearly all of the obstacles have
been removed by legislation OF by
treaties With the Indians. He be-
iieves that the supplementary. trea
ties adopted by the last congress
will enable the commission to eff
feet the installation OF new pol
itical and social conditions and of
the land tenures common to the
states and territories, in place of
the tribal relations now existing.
With reference to the en-
rollment Of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw tribes. the cormis.
sion recites the many complica-
toLs concerning the claim to mem
hrrship in the tribes. No record
has been kept by the tribes and
IL is evident that many OF the
names now on the preliminary
rolls have been placed there BY |
fraud, for the purpose OF having |
them share in the benefits that
will come from the division Of the
land and moneys Of the tribes.
Much Of the work of the commis
sion has been directed to a cor
rection of these frauds and to paw
ing the way for a final, legal and
Just enrolment. The Choctaws,
Chickasaws. Choctaw freedmen,
~hickasew freedmen and the Mis-
sissippi Choctaws are all seeking
enrolment privileges in tribes, and
their interests are closely inwOven.
The commission is making an ef-
fort to have all contesting claims
fully Investigated.
The "court citizen" cases have
also caused much delay, All of
these claims are now in a fair
way to be promptly settled in the
courts BY the terms OF the treaty
enacted by the last congress. There
are 2,3l0 of these "court citizen"
cases. and there can be no final
allotment of lands until these
cases have been passed upon by
the courts. The prospect OF the
allotment Of lands has caused a
growth in the member.
ship of the tribes, all claimants
who have the slightest connection
with the tribes having applied for
as it's members. The
applicants for enrolment in
lhe Chiokasaw and Choctaw tribes
are summarized as follows, Choc
laws, 21,O3S; Chiokasaws, 7,375I
Choctaw freedmen, 4.433, Chick
asaw freedmen, 5,9I1. In making
the record for the applications
for enrolment the commission has
prepared separate forms and aft.
davits for each class OF claimants,
so that when the time for passing
np 10 the applications arrives the
work may be speedily disposed of.
In addition to the applications for
citizenship already enumerated
there are 1921 applications OF
Mississippi Cnoctaws before the
These cases are most
difficult of adjustment and will
have TO be passed upon by the
courts, as the questions involved
are largely legal in character.
The progress made in the enroll.