Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-26
ALLOTTING THE LANDS
DIFFICULT TASK OF THE DAWES
INDIAN COMMISSION.
Over 200, 600 Claimants Examined and
Nearly 500, 900 Tracts Of
Land Inspected.

the general subject of the annual report OF
the Dawes commission to those tribes. The
report says thatthe time consumed in the
change from the old system to thesnew has
been a most irksome period to the people
of the Indian territory. and the commits
sion is not unmindful of the fact that to
many car did observers the execution of the
task has seemed to be both tedious and
expensive.
Long and Difficult Task.
In refutation of the criticisms the COM
mission says that the time has been well
occupied and that correct roll of the peo-
pie required the time which has been taken
and the work which has been DONE In ex-
PLANTATION of the difficulties of this work
the report says:
Every adult or head of a family in a
total of more than 100000 citizens and
claimants were personally examined, and
his previous tribal record was looked up.
OF this number, and In this way. more than
$4,000 have been examined since June ",
1898. The proceedings were all taken down,
especially as every case could be carried to
Washington on appeal, and often the record
of a single case was hundreds of pages in
extent. OF the above number of people
approximately 10000 will be finally adjudg-
ed to lawfully possess tribal membership
and property rights, and it can readily be
seen how less careful course of procedure
would have utterly dssipated the properties
of the tribes.
Appraising the Land.
AS to the appraisement of the land 1t
was thought that tracts of forty acres,
or quarter of quarter of section, were
as small a division could reasonably be
made the subject of personal inspection.
This acreage was adopted as the unit In
determining the grade and value of land;
but even this required the loca ting, inspect
ing. classifying and valuing of nearly $780,
coo tracts of land
las for safeguarding the occupancy and
Improvement rights of the people. their
houses. barns. fences and other improve
ments had to be located by actual sur
veys and with minute accuracy. Perhaps
hardly a man in the territory knew the
sectional divisions of his farm or the sec
tional of a single one of his improve
ments. and hence there was no source Of
accurate information respecting these mat
tiers except the surveys and location OF
improvements made by the commission.
The reports add: I'VE have been daily
witnesses of the distress of the people caus-
ed by delay. not only of the apprOXima tely
90 600 citizens of the tribes. but also of the
estimated 100000 other residents of the
territory. whose legitimate interests suffer
from an unsettled state of affairs. 1t Will
be seven years consumed in this work If It
is completed. as we expect, by July 1, 1903;
and the administration of these communal
estates. amounting to nearly 20,O00,O00 acres
of land. and to perhaps hundreds of mil
lions of dollars in actual values, will then
have consumed that amount of time and
have cost less than 10 cents per acre. We
trust that a consideration of the facts here
stated will lead to the conclusion that, I'M
der the circumstances. the time consumed
has not been unreasonable or the cost
unduly great"