The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-07-07
Dawes
Commission Enters
Upon Last Year of
Official Life.

Muskogee, I. T. July 7.-On the first
day Of this month the Dawes commits
sion entered upon the last fiscal year
of its OFFICIAL life; that is. unless the
next congress sees fit to repeal that
portion of the Indian appropriation
act providing that the commission
shall terminate July 1, 1906. 1t is
probable that the next twelve months
viii be the busiest year the commits
sion has ever had. Already the mem
bers are rushing" things in ordor
that tho work may be finished as
nearly as possible. and it appears now
that so far as the allotment Of lands
is concerned, its mission will be com
pleted
But there will be a number OF odds
and ends left over. and the question
is arising as TO whom this feature OF
the work will be left An act of con
gress will be required to arrange for
this, and it is probable that an appro-
priation will have to be made
The fact that the deeds can not be
delivered to allottees until after the
expiration of nine months from the
date of allotment Will necessitate some
official to look after those who receive
their certificates late in the year Also.
there will be a large number Of con
tests still pending. Under the present
law the commission hears and, decides
all contests. and also delivers the
deeds either to the allottees, them.
selves, or, as is required in some cases,
to the principal chief of the nation.
There are at present $500 contests
pneding. and numerous others are be-
ing filed in the Cherokee and the
Choctaw nations. where the allotment
work is lust in the heat of progress
The selection of allotments Is prac
tically completed in the Creek and the
Seminole nations but in the Cherokee
nation it is just about half done. while
in the Chickasaw-C -Choctaw country
quite good deal still remains How
ever, the commissioners are prepar-
ing to take drastic steps towards wind
ing the matter up and they say that
practically all the allotments in the
territory will have been selected at
the end Of siN months
The selection Of lands in the Cher
okee nation was delayed mainly by
the closing OF the land Office several
months ago, as a result of the Della
ware controversy. but good portion
OF the delay there. as well as in the
Choctaw nation, resulted from the re-
fusal Of some Of the full bloods to ac-
cept the terms of the government
The Cherokee land office was reopen
ed May and since that time has
been doing a good business. Some
OF the full bloods are still obstinate.
but. unless they come to terms at
once, the commission will arbitrarily
select their allotments for them. Field
parties are already being organized
TO investigate the conditions of the
full bloods and action will he taken
Immediately following their reports.
Tams Bixby, chairman Of the COM
mission, is in Washington now con
sulting with Secretary Hitchcock rel
atiye to a number of things which
have been delaying progress. In the
meantime, Colonel Tom Needles is in
charge here, and is rushing things TO
the limit while Colonel Breckenridge
has charge Of the land Office at Table
quah.
The appropriation Of $685. .295 to car
ry on the work of the commission dur
ing its last hscal year will probably
prove a sufficient amount. since there
is a surplus OF about $4,000 left over