The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-02-19

PROGRESS OF ALLOTMENT.

ThON hhGD Or NV w A1N
The Cherokee land office has
been in operation here little
more than six weeks and the work
bas settled dc wn TO a steady grind
the speed OF which is not increased
nor diminished to any appreoiable
extent one day compared with
another. The rate Is in the neigh
borhood of two hundred and fifty
week, or about one thousand a
month. The varied and multitu-
dinous cases that have arisen in
the course Of the work has
developed rules and decisions
covering almost every conceivable
shade Of an exceedingly tangled
and complicated task. The com.
mission as represented in the
force at work in the land office
here is progressing laboriously,
patiently and quite efficiently in
the stupendlous undertaking that
no man even now can see an end
too. On. an average daily about
10000 acres OF land is set apart 10
allotments, and the slow, constant
grind continues. When one has
finished filing another takes his
place in front OF one Of the clerks
at the long, zizzag table in the al.
lotment division and the work pro-.
ceeds ia unbroken monotony.
Ninetenths Of the allottees obtain
a second ticket after the irst filing
in order that they may again enter
later and file upon the fractions
that are almost invariably left.
These small parcels must neces-
sarily be selected ia the cheap
fifty cents an acre lands among
the broken and rocky sections
mostly east Of the river. AT the
present rate it is estimated that II
will require three or four years 10
allol the Cherokee nation. II has
been found In the work OF allot-
ting that only about half Of the
citizens In the Cherokee nation
are now on the 6Ial roll. rhe roll
Of Cherokee citizens was made the
same as that OF September /, 1902
and allotment certificates are lie.
sued only TO those whose names
appear upon some approved roll,
Many intermarried citizens have
loss their rights under the Chero.
kee Law, which provides that in
termarried citizens who, after the
death Of the Cherokee husband or
wife, marry person having no
rights OF citizenship by blood, OF
abandon the Cherokee husband OF
wife, as the case may be, forfeit
all right Of citizenship In the Cher.
okee nation. For this reason il
was found necessary to call all oI
this class OF citizens before the
commission TO show that they were
entitled to enrolment September
/, 1902. For this reason the roll
Of intermArrisd citizens is the last
to be sent to the Secretary OF the
Interior for approval. Schedules
containing 1000 names are made
up by the Dawes commission and
forwarded TO the Secretary of the
Interior for approval. Indians by
blood being on approval straight
cards went with them, and inter.
married citizens and freedmen
went last. Names TO the number
Of 2,0i5 have been returned from
Washington approved, and these
are filing now. There are nov
1,O06 freedmen on approved rollsi
and these are permitted TO file
There are now in the Interior De-
partment awaiting approval, ! 1851
citizens by blood, i,743 freedmen
and 1850 citizens by intsrmar'
riags. These are not permitted &c
file at this time but reservations
for them are being made. As soon
as their names are returned iron
Washington, they can file the sam,
as other citizens, but only reserya
tIons Of their land on which they
A