The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-26
HARD WORK TO
ALLOT LANDS
Dawes Commission Report
Covers Past Six Years
CRITICISM is NOT JUST
The Task Has Been Irksome and Great
Annoyance Has Resulted But
the Situation Could
Not Be Helped.

Washington. December 25.-The annual
report of the Dawes commission on its
work for the five civilized tribes of In
dians in Indian Territory. which was
made public today. is a general review
of the partition and allotment of the
lands of those Indians during the past
six years.
'.The time consumed in the change
from the old system to the new" the
commissioners say, has been a most
irksome period to the people of Indian
Territory, and the commission is not un-
mindful Of the fact that to many candid
observers the execution of the task has
seemed to be both tedious and expen-
sive."
While admitting that criticism was to
be expected, the report goes on to say
that it is not just, and to show that the
time has been well occupied in securing
correct roll of the people. in obtaining
a correct inventory of their properties,
and in locating improvements.
OF the difficulties of these various di-
visions of the work they say:
Every adult or head of a family in
total of more than 100000 citizens and
claimants, was personally examined, and
his previous tribal record was looked up.
OF this number, and in this way more
than 10000 have been examined since
i June %. 1898.
The proceedings were all taken down,
and cases carried to Washington on ap-
peal were often very voluminous Ninety
thousand will be finally adjusted to law
fully possess tribal membership and
property rights, and it can readily be seen
how careful course of procedure would
nave utterly dissipated the properties Of
the tribes.
Forty Acre Tract Adopted.
AS to the appraisement of the land,
1t was thought that tracts of forty acres,
or quarter of a section, were as small
division as could reasonably be made
the subject of personal inspection. This
acreage was adopted as the unite in de-
termining the grade and value of land,
but even this required the locating, in
specting, classifying and valuing of
nearly five hundred thousand tracts of
land says the report. Continuing, it
says:
AS 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
yeys, and with minute accuracy Per-
haps hardly a man in the territory knew
the sectional divisions of his farm, or the
sectional location of single one of his
improvements, and hence there was no
source of accurate Information respecting
the matter, except the surveys and loca-
ton of improvements made by the COM
mission"
The report adds
1--WE have been daily witnesses of the
distress of the people, caused by delay,
not only of the approximately 10000 citi-
zens of the tribes. but also of the esti-
mate 100000 residents of the territory,
whose legitimate interests suffer from an
unsettled state of affairs 1t will be
seven years consumed in this work il
it is completed. as we expect by July 1,
1906, and the administration of these com
munal estates. amounting to nearly TO-
100000 acres of land and to perhaps hum
dreds of millions of dollars in actual
values has already consumed a large
amount of time"
Spectators Active.
Speaking of the difficulties connected
with the allotment work. the commits
sioners say that "speeulators not over
scrupulous in their business methods have
attempted in every way to influence the
work with view TO personal gain
One of the methods of the spectators
is outlined as follows:
"A favorite scheme has been to induce
full-blood Indians to take in alotments
in widely separated tracts of ten or more
acres each, in order that they might not
be in position TO take possession of and
improve In the month of August. 1908 and
the commission has used every possible
means to prevent alotments of this char
acter. Under the law, however. certain
privileges are guaranteed to citizens in
the selection of their allotments, making
it difficult for the commission to fully
protect their interests