Evening star., 1902-01-23
FOR INDIAN TERRITORY
PROVISIONS OF THE BILL INTRO.
DUCED BY MIR. CURTIS.
Empower the President to Appoint
the Chief Executive-Revolutio
ary Effect of the Measure.

Representative Curtis Of Kansas has in
troduced a bill under which it is pro-
posed to empower the President to appoint
a governor for Indian territory. This Off
Ger is to be vested with executive authority
over the territory and to hold his Office
for four years. He shall be the commander
! in-chief of the militia, superintendent of In
dian affairs and shall perform such other
duties as may be imposed by the President
and the Secretary of the Interior. In ad-
dition to his office of governor it is pro-
posed to make him also a member of the
Dawes commission to the five civilized tribes
and ex-of1cio president of said commission.
His salary for these manifold duties is to
be $1,000 a year. Mr.. Curtis bill also pro-
yides for the appointment of a secretary
In the Indian territory and for the election
of delegate to the House of Representa-
tives to be chosen by the male inhabitants
of that territory who are now qualified
to serve as United States jurors.
In this bill Mr.. Curtis. who is responsible
for all recent legislation affecting the In
dian territory, proposes to take another
step in the direction of the complete Or
ganization Of Indian territory as a regu-
lar political subdivision of the United
States. The so-called Curtis act, which has
now been in force several years, was look
ed upon at the time of it's passage as a
most drastic piece Of legislation and there
were serious QOuDlS Ta1SeQ Dy dDi6 JuTlSCS
as to its cOnstitutionality. This law really
marked a new epoch in the Indian policy
Of the United States government for it re-
verses the usual order Of things and in
stead Of proposing legislation requested by
the Indians 1t provides for such laws and
regulations as government officials thought
best for the Indians without regard to their
wishes in the matter.
Population of the Indian Territory.
In the Indian territory today there are
about 5000 Indians Of pure or mixed
blood and about 100000 white people, who,
while they have no permanent foothold
upon the soil except in cities and towns,
are justly entitled to such credit as Is due
for the commercial and industrial develop
ment of that fertile section. The appoint
ment Of governor by the President would
probably result In the choice of white
man who had shown himself to be espe-
cially fitted for the position through expert
ence and knowledge of the people whom he
was to govern The election of delegate
in Congress would probably result also i'll a
white man, as the white voters. those who
are competent to serve on juries are i'll the
ma jority. The faction in the Indian terri
tory which Is opposed to the annexation OF
that territory to Oklahoma, Is led by those
who are profiting by present conditions and
who fear change in the existing order OF
things by virtue of white supremacy Iii
case the governmental affairs of the terri
tory were based upon popular suffrage.
Effect of the Measure.
Mr. Curtis bill providing for territorial
form Of government for the community of
the five civilized tribes is not long or a
complicated measure, but should 1t be en-
acted into a law it would have an almost
revolutionary effect upon the political Lii
Of that community. The territory is now
governed by the Dawes commission and
the Secretary Of the Interior assisted by
the federal courts. The appointment of a
governor, with executive authority, would
do much to straighten out the extremely
complicated system which now prevails,
and would assist materially in bringing the
territory into a condition where the usual
form of territorial government would be
applicable. 1t will not be long before each
of the Indians has received his allotment
of land, and as soon as this Is accomplish
ed 1t is the undoubted intention of the gov
ernment to let the members Of the five
civilized tribes stand or fall as the case
may be, upon their own merits as indi-
viduals to. break up the tribal relations ana
tribal control Of community property This
is the principle underlying the Curtis act.
and in proportion as this is accomplished
will the Indian territory reach a normal
condition.
Representative Curtis has made a life
long study of the needs Of the five tribes
and the Indians along the southern border
with whom he is in sympathy. His opinion
that the time has arrived for a change in
the manner of governing the Indian terri
tory will carry much weight with the In
dian affairs committee, to which his bill
has been referred.