The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-01-16
Very Few Refuse to Pay II!
Some Equivocate a Little and Ask
for Time to Consult an At
torney, But Come to
Time in the End.

United States Marshal Ben +.
Colbert, of Ardmore, accompanied
by force of four deputy collectors
have been in the city the past few
days collecting the one per cent
tribal tax on stocks Of goods and
business institutions OF Ohickssba.
Ma rshal Colbert and men are stop.
ping at the Royal hotel.
The one per cent tax is a tax
against all business institutions ID
the Chickasaw nation, and the
money so collected goes to the sup
port OF the tribe. This tax has
been collected from the people
living aud doing business IN the
Chlckasaw Nation from time inn
memorial, the first law of that ma
ture being enacted by the tribal
leg islature as far back as 1886.
This tax covers all enterprises Of .
business nature in the Chickasaw
Nation, whether citizens or nom
citizens. At the time of the first
enactment permit tax of e25 per
head was also imposed upon all
non citizens living and doing busi-
ness 10 the Nation. This law
proved so unpopular that in 1880
the tribal government changed the
tax to $5. In 1895 it was again
reduced to 81, and in 1900 the At
torney General o. the United
states submitted a brief in support
of the law and the federal officers
were instructed to assist the In
dians in collecting it. OF laie this
permit tax has not been collected, ,
though the Chickasaw legislature
has never repealed the law impos-
ing its payment. The law proved
very unpopular, and although in
every case collection could be en-
forced, there was considerable re-
iuctance on the part of the non-cit-
Izens to pay it. Recently the col
lection Of the permit tax has been
abandoned, though if the federal
officers we're SO disposed they
could enforce it TO the letter.
The one per cent occupation tax
however, must be paid, and those
who hold out and refuse to pay it,
are only causing themselves in
convenience and perhaps extra ex-
pense iu the end. This tax has not
only been sustained in a special
brief on the subject submitted by
tue attorney general of the United
states. but the federal courts in
the Chickasaw Nation have nearly
All rendered decisions sustaining
its validity.
II has been argued by those who
have objected to 1t that the town
site Of Chickasha has been pur-
chased by the federal government,
and that the tax payers and prop
erty owners here have been given
absolute title deeds to their land,
they hold that Chickasha is no
longer part of the Ohickasaw
Nation, and that they are, there
fore, NO longer liable for the tax.
Mr.. Colbert, in conversation with
reporter for the Express this
morning, stated that they are in
error in this proposition. That
though It is true the townsite Of
Chickasha is federal properly. it Is
still part Of the Chickasaw Ma
ti0n aud situated therein, and that
the same treaty under which all
the Chickasaw laws we're enacted
still remains in full force and ef-
feet. ''The agreement between
the Ohickasaw government and
the United States, covering the
matter of townsites, expressly pro-
vides that this transfer shall in no
wise conflict with the laws Of the
Chickasaw Legislature, and that
they shall remain in force the
same as if the townsite we're still a
part Of the nation. This Is The
instruction We are proceeding
under, and there is no getting
around it. We have the law on
our side, and while the collection OF
the tax is As distasteful to rs as il
lis to those we collect from, w