The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-07-12
Dead Indian Claims
And Other Important Matters Re
lating to Sale Of Lands
Discussed.

the lndidh 1cAiitOiy idiid u u~o
ton:
Within the past few weeks |
have been asked by a number OF
newspapers aud business men Of
Indian Territory for the official in
terpretation of the removal OF the
restrictions from Indian citizens,
and when and how can land be
bought in Indian Territory passing
perfect title to allottments and the
sale of allottments Of deceased al
lottees, including their homesteads.
I have collected all the law | have
been able to find bearing on these
points and submit the following
thus CLEANED, together with the
opinions of the department OF the
federal offices having TO do with
these subjects.
The restrictions from the aliena-
tions ofland have not been removed
from any citizens of Indian blood
to this date, because, first, there
was no fund available for this pur-
pose until the beginning Of the hs-
cal year. The money is now avail
able and work will begin on the
600 applications as soon as the re-
cord books prepared for that pur-
pose can be received. The restric-
tions will be removed from all ap-
plicants, who, in the opinion of the
Indian agent and the Secretary OF
the Interior are competent to han
die their business. affairs, the stand
ard of ability being largely fixed
by that of white men living in the
same community. 1t is necessary
for an allottee to appear i'll person
before the agent to get the restrlc-
tions removed. For greater CON
venience the agent has arranged
that on certain dates, yet to be fired
he will appear at various points, one
in each Of the nations, TO hear such
applications, provided there are
sufficient applications from that
section to warrant this travelling
court to 60 to that place. The
question has arisen whether the
agent will hear the applications Of
an allottee who has received a GER
ti6cate of allotment, but upon
which the time limit for contest
has not run. The agent IS now IN
Washington in conference with the
department on this question, and
until it is decided there no action
will proctical difficulty arising III
event such applications should be
granted is apparent. The agent is
now ready to hear applications and
as soon as the record books are re
ceived will proceed with the work.
The restrictions upon the aliena-
ton of land of allottees mot of In
dian blood were removed by act
Of congress last winter. The opin-
ION of the attorneys general on the
construction of this law is the law
is too plain to misconstrue. 1t
means Just what it says. Accord
ingly the restrictions are considered
removed from the freedmen, and
;ntermarried whites who received
sllottments for other reasons thar
that they have Indian blood. The
careful land buyer, however
looks up the record himself anc
sees that nowhere inthe application
of the allottee for citizenship ha'
l,4 asserted that he has lndiar
h,ood This is further supplement
ID bv afidavitsfrom as many mem
hers Of the family as can be ha'
that there is no indian blood in th'
family and that they have neve.
claimed it.
In the Choctaw and ChickasaN
u..,ons the law provides that there
sball i,e a homestead of 100 acres
which shall be inalienable during
the lifetime Of the allottee, not ex-
ceeding II years from the date Of
The certificate Of allotment" :" The
surplus land may be alienated one.
fourth in one year, One-fourth II
three years and one-haH ~ hVs
Years provided that no land shsA
= 80 r~s4T