Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-11-20
GRAVE PROBLEMS UP
IN INDIAN TERRITORY
End Of Tribal Government on March
10 Likely to Result In Chaos

(William +. Curtis Correspondents oi
Chicago Record-Herald)
wASHINGTON-T officials OF the
interior department do not intend 10
recommend any form of temporary
government. for Indian Territory. be
cause they believe that Congress VIII
make some provision for permanent
government during the coming session
whether statehood is granted or not
Although the tribal organizations VIII
be dissolved and there will be no cen
trail government after the 4th oi
March next, It is believed that affairs
can run along indefinitely as well as
they are running now, and that any
attempt to provide temporary gov
ernment will postpone settlement oil
n problem which should be decided at
once. II Indian Territory Is to be ad-
mitted as state, either singly OF
Jointly with Oklahoma, there Is no
reason for delay. In certain respects
the conditions for statehood are not
ideal, but the president believes they
will improve more rapidly under
state government than as territory
After the 4th of March there Will be
no authority to impose taxes. except
in the municipalities, but that is prac
tically the same as at present, and
when the tribal organizations dissolve
on the 4th of March. and the tribal of
fcials go out OF power, all tribal taxes
cease There is no money for schools
roads or any other public purpose, ex
cept in the municipalities, bnt 1t is
the presidents opinion that Congress
should take definite action promptly
In one form or another, so that the
people of the territory can settle down
to business, knowing where they stand
and what future is before them.
Congress win have to make provi-
sion for the education OF the Indian
children and the white population will
have to take care of their own schools
because the Indians can not be taxed
Some provision must also be made for
the construction and maintenance of
roads and bridges, but that problem
will be left for future governments
to solve. Unfortunately, when Con
gress was disposing Of the Indian
lands they were all exempted from
taxation. and no reservation was
made for educational purposes. The
president will recommend that the
trust funds belonging to the Indians
now In custody of the federal govern
ment be dedicated to education. and
that the interest be paid annually to
the several tribes, according to their
lawful proportion, to pay for schools
The children of the white race have
no right to participate in the benefits
from these funds, but that can be cas-
lily adjusted by the appropriation of a
similar amount from the public treas
ury for the same purpose and putting
both the Indian money and the ap-
preparation into permanent educa-
tional trust.
Certain Influences are at work to
secure authority for the distribution
of this money pro rata among the In
dians, to whom 1t belongs, but the
president and Secretary Hitchcock
would regard that as calamity. judg
ing from past experiences. The mon
ey would slip through the hands OF the
Indians like water through sieve
There is also a movement on foot to
remove all restrictions from the sale
of Indian lands. Under the preseu,
law negroes and all other persons
without Indian blood who share In the
allotment of the tribal lands can sell
them any time they like, and large
hou olr Int h.,
hands Of the whites. The law, how
ever. forbids the sale Of any lands al,
lotted to minors until the owners snail
become OF age. and 1t requires thai
every 1ndian-men, women and chill
dren-participating in the allotment
shall reserve forty acres as home.
stead for life.
The Cherokees and Creeks can not
sell any Of their land for Ave years,
except upon the approval Of the sec
retary Of the interior, but that approv.
al has been given to many bona nde
sales. The tribal lands have been
equally divided among men, women
and children. Everybody got farm
OF hundred acres or more, and in
cases where there are three. four OF
five farms allotted to single family,
which can not cultivate or improve
all Of them. sales have been author
lied. Last summer ! was told OF one
family with seventeen children. TO
which was allotted nineteen farms
In another OF the tribes a family oil
sixteen children got eighteen farms
OF several hundred acres each. Under
the law forty acres for each individ.
ual In the family must be reserved
under all circumstances. and the chill
dren can not sell anything until they
become of age. In such cases the par.
ents have been allowed to sell.
In the Seminole country there are
no restrictions whatever. After the
4th of March next any member OF
the tribe can sell his entire allotment
without any condition. The Cboctaws
and Chickasaws can sell one.fourth in
one year, one-fourth more in two
years and the balance Except home.
stead OF forty acres) in Ave years.
There is nothing to prevent an In
dian from leasing or renting his land,
and a great many whites are SECURING