Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-23
The INDIAN TERRITORY
PROPOSITION TO GIVE IT A DELE
GATE IN CONGRESS.
Representative Curtis Resolution
What Mr.. Foley, Who is Endorsed
for the Place, Says.

The proposition to give the Indian terri
tory delegate representation In Congress-
pending action on the statehood Dill, is re-
ceiving considerable support on both SIDES
of the House, and an effort Will be mace TO
enact legislation for that purpose In the
event the statehood bill goes over to the
next Congress. Representation for that
territory has been advocated for several
years by members of both House and Sen
ate, and shortly before his death Senator
Quay, who took a deep interest in the lad
vancement of the Indian tribes. urged the
President to insert in his message to Con-
gress recommendation that a bill be pass
ed placing the Indian territory on the same
basis as the territories of Oklahoma, New
Mexico and Arizona in the matter OF con-
gressional representation. During the last
session of Congress nOn-partiSan conVen-
ton at South McAlester. composed of dele
gates from all sections of the Indian terri
tory, Endorsed G. Z. Foley OF Eufaia Tor
delegate in case Congress should pass
bill authorizing the territory to elect such
a representative. Owing to the agitation
for legislation that would admit the Indian
territory with Oklahoma as state the
delegate bill was not acted upon. Repre-
sentative Curtis of Oklahoma has offered a
resolution providing that the House recog-
nize Mr. Foley as the Indian territory dee
gate during the remainder of this session.
This resolution has been referred to the
committee territories and Mr.. Curtis
has arranged with that committee for
hearing. He contends that the Indian
territory should have been permitted long
ago to elect delegate. and that by with
holding authority to do this Congress has
violated a treaty entered into many years
ago by the government with the Cherokee
nation, which stipulated that those Indians
were to be represented in the House. The
Kansas representative says he expects the
committee on territories to favorably report
1t o1,,ts n,,I nc sc Ionn hn
believes that it will be adopted by the
House.
What MI. Foley Says.
Mr.. Foley, who was at the Capitol this
morning is native of Iowa, but he went
to the Indian territory when a boy and
has lived there for more than thirty years.
He is successful business man and has
never taken part in Indian territory poll
tics.
Since the dissolution of the tribal rela-
tons of the Five Civilized Tribes the In
dian territory in every way is prepared for
statehood said Mr.. Foley, land the peo-
pie there are confident that the statehood
bill will be passed by the next Congress if
not at this session. Pending such action
they think they should be represented in
the House by delegate.
The business interests of the territory
have become very large and as a result
there are many matters pending at the de-
partmentS which are not acted upon
promptly This is not due to any especial
negligence by the department officials, but
merely to the fact that the territory has
no congressional delegate to look after
them.
The Dawes commission is completing
the final details of the work of allotting the
Indian lands, and the Indian territory has
entered upon era of tremendous develop
ment. The stories of graft there which
have reached Washington are very much
exaggerated. 1t is true that in some in
stances spectators have bought lands
from the Indians for less than they were
worth, but that was the fault of the In
dians and there was no legal method to
prevent the frauds. AS a matter of fact,
the safeguards established by Secretary
Hitchcock for the protection of the Indians
have proven effective, and in nearly every
case of fraud there has been collision be-
tween the Indian and the land shark to
thwart the efforts of the Interior Depart
ment to save the Indian from himself.
Secretary Hitchcock is highly regarded by
the better element of Indian territory peo-
pie They realize that he is man of
great ability, that he is absolutely honest.
ard that he has done everything in his
power to advance their interests"