Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-26
Time Has Been Well spent in
Securing a Correct Roll Of
The People
EVERY CLAIMANT EXAMINED.
Spectators Embarrassed Work Of
Allotment Scheme CleyerIy
Manipulated

Washington, Dec. 2j--Tho annual re-
port of the Dawes commission ON It's
work for the 1--WE civilized tribes of In.
dians IN Indian territory which was
made public today, Is a general re-
view OF the partition and allotment Of
tht 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
unmindfu Of the fact that % many
candid observers the execution of the
t0sk has seemed 20 be both tedious and
expensive"
While admitting that criticism was to
be expected, the report goes on % say
II rs not just and To show that the
time has been well occupied In securing
a correct roll OF the people, In obtain
ing a correct inventory OF their prop
erty and 40 locating Improvements.
or the difficulties Of these various
divisions OF the work the report says
Every adult or head OF a family IN a
total Of more than ZOO 900 citizens and
claimants was personally examined and
his previous tribal record was looked
up. OF this number and I'm this way
more than 10000 have been examined
since June 2S. 1898. The proceedings
were all taken down, especially as
every case could be carried 20 wash.
lnglon on appeal, and often the record
OF single person was hundreds Of
pages IN extent OF the above number
OF people. approximately 10000 will be
finally adjudged 10 lawfully possess tr-
bal membership and property rights,
and II can readily be seen how "a less
careful course OF procedure would have
utterly dissIpated the properties Of the
tribes.
AS 70 appralsemcnt of land. Il was
thought that 40 acres. or a quarter
of q quarter section was as small dlvl-
sion as could have reasonably been
made. This acreage was adopted ms
the unit I'm determining the grade ana
value Of lands. but even this required
the locating inspecting. classifying and
valulng Of nearly 100000 tracts OF land.
'A9 for Safeguarding the O.cuuancy
and Improvement rights OF the people,
ihelr homes, barns, fences and other
improvements had to be located By ac-
tual surveys and with minute accuracy.
Ierhaps hardly q man I'm the territory
knew the sectional divisions OF his farm
or the section location of a single one
ot nus improvements, and hence there
was no source Of accurate information
respecting these matters except the
surveys and location Of improvements
made by the commission"
The report adds.
I'VE have been daily witnesses OF
the distress OF the people caused by
delay not only Of the approximately
$4,000 citizens Of the tribes, but also
of the estimated 100000 residents of
the territory whose legitimate interests
suiter from an unsettled state Of az
fairs There Will have been seven
years consumed In this week II It rs
completed, as we expect by July /, 1905,
and the administration OF these COM
munal estates, amounting 10 nearly
2O0OOOOO acres Of land, and 10 perhaps
hundreds Of millions Of dollars IN ac-
tual values. viii then have consumed
that amount Of time and have cost less
than 10 cents per acre, We trust that n
consideration OF the facts here stated
viii lead 10 the conclusion that under |
the circumstances the time consumed |
has not been unreasonable or the cost !
urduly great"
Speaking OF the difficulties connected |
with the allotment work the commits |
sloners say that Spectators not over |
scrupulous IN their business methods |
have attempted IN every way TO in |
h0ence the work with a View to per- |
sonal gain"
one of the methods Of the spectators |
is outlined as follows
"a toyorite scheme has been 10 ln- /
iuce flll-D,cod Indians 10 take ON the |
allotment widely separated tracts NJ |
10 or more acres each, an order that /
,hcy might not be in a position 20 take .
possession of and improve their alot. !
nents. This matter was invited 10 the /
attention Of the department I'm the
month Of August, 1903, and the commits
sion has used every possible means
10 present allotments OF this charac-
ter Under the law. however certain
privileges are guaranteed 10 citizens i'm
he selection Of their allotments. max
hg Il difficult for the commission 10
fully protect their interests"