The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1904-12-29
COMM|SS|O N
DAWES COMMISSION REVIEWS
ITS PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
Time Has Been We'll Occupied IN
Enrolling People Of Five Civilized
Tribes and Looking After
Their Welfare.

Washington Dee. IS Tho annual
report of the Dawes Commission on
It's work for the Five Civilized Tribes
Of Indians In Indian Territory is a
general review of the partition and al.
lotmont 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
irksomc period to the people OF In.
dian Territory. and the commission IS
not unmindful of the tact that 10 many
candid observers the execution OF the
task has seemed to be both tedious
and expensive"
While admitting that criticism was
to be- expected, the report goes on
to say that 1t is not just, and to show
that the time has been well occupied
In securing a correct roll OF the peo.
pie and inobtaining correct inven
tory of their property and in locat
ing improvements.
OF the difficulties of these various
divisions of the work, the report says:
Every adult or head OF family in
total Of more than 100000 citizens
and claimants was personally eXamin
ed and his previous tribal record was
looked up. OF this number and in this
way more than 100000 have been eX-
amincd since June 2S, 1898. The pro.
ceedings were all taken down, cspcc-
tally as every case could be carried to
Washington on appeal and often the
record Of single case was hundreds
oi pages in extent. OF the above mum
Der of people. approximately 10000
will be- finally adjudged to lawfully
possess tribal membership and prop.
erty rights, and II can readily be seen
how less careful course of proceed
ure would have utterly dissipated the
properties Of the tribes.
As 10 the appraisement Of the land
it was thought that tracts of forty
acres, or a quarter of a section, was
as small division as could reasonab.
ly be- made the subject of personal in
spectiun This acreage was adopted
as the unit in determining the grade
and value of lands; but even this re-.
quircd the locating inspecting, class
flying and yaluing OF nearly ooO,Uuo
tracts ol land.
AS for the safeguarding the ocCu.
paucy and improvement rights of the
people, their houses, barns, fences
and other improvements had to be To-
Gated By actual surveys and with
minute accuracy Perhaps, hardly 4
man in the Territory knew the sec-
tional divisions of his farm or the sec.
tional location OF a single one OF his
improvements. and hence there was
no source of accurate information re
specting these matters except the sur
veys and location of Improvements
made by the commission"
The report adds:
We have been daily Witnesses oI
the distress of the people caused by
delay, not only OF the approximately
80, 900 citizens OF the tribes, but also
of the estimated 6OO,O 900 other resi-
dents of the territory whose Legitimate
interests suffer from AN unsettled
state OF affairs, It will be seven
years consumed In this work. II II Is
completed, as we expect, by July l
1905, and the administration of thes'
communal estates, amounting to near
haps hundreds of millions Of dollar
in actual values, viii then have con
sumed that amount of time and have
, cost less than 10 cents an acre. We
trust that a consideration Of the facts
: here stated will lead to the conclusion
that under the circumstances the time
, consumed has not been unreasonabl,
nor the cost unduly great
, Speaking of the difficulties connect
ed with the allotment work the com
missioners say that spectators no
over scrupulous in ther business
r methods have attempted in every way
/ to influence the work with view tc
, personal gain"
One Of the methods Of the specula
tors is outlined as follows:
"A favorite scheme has been to in
duce fullblood Indlans 10 take in al
lotment widely separated tracts Of ter
or more acres each, in order that they
might not be in position TO take pos
ession Of and improve their allot