The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-11-06
DAWES WORK
FOR THE YEAR
Summary Of the Indian
Commissions AIleg=
ed Labor

washington, y. q, Nov. b.-The re-
port Of the Dawes commission for
the year was made public at the in.
terror department today. The most
important feature Of it is a summary
OF the work done by the commission
in dissolving the tribal relations of
the FIVE civilized tribes Supplement-
airy to the report is statement from
Tams Bixby, acting chairman Of the
commission, in which he expresses the
belief that the final work of the com
mission IS now in condition to be con-
cluded within a very rev years
Nearly all of the obstacles have been
removed by legislation or by treaties
with the Indians. He believes that
the supplemental treaties adopted by
the last congress will enable the com
mission to effect the installation OF
new political 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 enrolment
OF the Choctaw and Chlckasaw tribes,
the commission recites the many com
plications concerning the claims to
membership in the tribes. No record
has been kept by the tribes and it is
evident that man, If the names nov
on the preliminary roles Lave been
( placed there by fraud. ror the pur
pose of having them share in the ben
sts that win come from the division
OF the land and moneys OF the tribes.
Much of the work of the commission
has been directed TO a correction of
these fraud and 0 paving the way for
a final, legal and just enrolment.
The Choctaws, Chickasaws. Cioctaw
freedmen, Chickasaw freedmen and
Il Mississippi Choctaws are all
Fixing enrolment privileges in The
LES and their interests are close-
eT interviewer. The commission rs
thoking an effort to have all contest.
and claims fully investigated
Many Court Citizen Cases.
The "court citizen cases have also
promptly settled in the courts by -he
4 terms Of the treaty enacted by The
4 last congress. There are 2.3l0 Of
Il caused much delay All of these
claims are now in fais way to be
these court citizen cases, and there
can be no final allotment of the lands
of the tribe until these cases have
been passed upon by the cou,ts. The
prospect Of the allotment Of auda
has caused a remarkable growth in
the membership of the tribes. al
claimants who have the slightest
connection with the tribes having lp
piled for enrolment as It's members
y The applicants for enrolment in the
Chickasha and Choctaw tribes arr
summarized as follows: Chootaws
21,O3S; Chickasaws, 1875; ChoctaW
freedmen, 4,433; Chickasaw freedmen
5,911 In making the record of the
applications for enrolment the com
mission has prepared separate forms
and affidayits for each class Of CLAIM,
ans. so that when the time for pass
q ing upon the applications arrives the
work may be speedily disposed Of II
addition OF the applications for eli
zenship already enumera7ed there al
1921 applications OF Mississippi
Choctaws before the commission
"a These cases are most difficult OF
justment and viii have to be passe'
upon by the courts as the question
involved are largely legal IN charac
ter
Trouble With the Full 5oods.
The progress made in The enroll
ment of the Cherokees Is set out a
length in the report. The creates
difficulty has been experienced b.
the commission in dealing with tn
Cherokee full bloods. who have unsi
quite recently refused to make appl
cation for enrolment or to recogniz
the work or authority of the commi'
sion. Whenever the commission fixe
a date for enrolment of the member
of the tribe. IN any locality the fu
bloods would arrange for a series @
games and dances, and applicants 70
enrolment would be very difficult
find. Ia spite Of these obstacles ia
commission enrolled about $500 {
the full blood members Of the trib
and II Is believed now that when IN
recent treaty has been ratified ther
win be nc further delay in settling u