The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-09-03

with IN all the vile usuIpatlons
of the ''cattle barons." The
exact number of acres set apart
in these reserves was never com.
monty known; that was a mat
ter, a clear knowledge of which
was never vouchsafed to the
popular mind. However, by
the collation. of a few known
facts connected with the sub.
ject, and reasoning upon them
in the light of common appre-
hension, it would seem to be
safe in assuming that the
amount of ground monopolized
in this way embodied thou.
sands and thousands of acres,
with an actual value Of more
than a million of dollars. In
the removal of this great por-
ton from the common estate,
as a preliminary step to final
allotment, the Indians failed to
detect anything which, to their
minds, seemed in the least to
sustain the flow of kindly pro-
fessions that characterized the
language of the original pro-
moters Of the measure; on the
contrary they felt the stringent
beltings of adversely drawn
around them still tighter than
ever, and that too with all hope
of a coming day of relief for
ever cut off. Before they were
allowed to know what their
portion was to be, the general
interests of religion, education,
internal Improvements, COM
merce, and all sorts of ques-
tionable claims, had to be pro-
vided for out Of the very best
of the property. In a scheme
of allotment devised professedly
for the purpose OF securing
them in the possession Of their
righttul portion of the lands, it
turned out that they were TO
have only a distributive share
in a small surplus remaining
after every form of deduction
had been made for which the
of greed could possi-
bly, frame an apology.
And yet Il seems not to have
been enough that all claims in
actual existence should be sat
istied in this preferential way.
The sordid source from which
had already issued so many ex-
orbitant demands against the
Indian estate, was rot to falter
In its fruitfulness as long as
there remained a single acre
the reach OF acquisition.
Accordingly the Dawes COM
mission were authorized, and
to continue, at their
discretion, to segregate space
ior townsitesf especially along
newly constructed railroads, as
ong as there remained any In
liam land not as vet rendered
unavailable for such a purpose
1y actual allotment.
Among the various acts of
shaping the plan o. al
otment, there was one which
the secretary OF the
Interior TO lease out to private
parties for mining purposes an
AMOUNT OF these Indian lands
United By nothing more def
lite than his own sovereign dis
'retion Under this provision,
arge tracts were selected by
lessees who had drawn
Up contracts in due form, and
,laced them on file in the secre-
ary's office to await his APP
,roval. In the meantime, az
be solicitation of the Indians,
congress passed an act 50 far
modifying the plan Of allotment |
IS to annul the power Of the
ecretary to execute such leases. |
This act, though, was not to
axe effect until il had been rat
fed by a popular vote of the
indians Accordingly on cleo
ION was called to take place on
he 7th day of August, 1902. ItI
Fas this inhibitory effect upon
he power Of the secretary that
nost commended the act to the
iood opinion of the Indians in
eed It was relied upon by the
riends of the maaaura aa tl,a