The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-05-07


nal would not suf,q greatly in co.. ,-
uuence. They think they can do is.
u is not admitted that. as q tule. lc
mixed bloods would be- swindlcd II
they were allowed To sell heir sur
plus land II is thought chat With toe
cloud thus lifted from all titles there
would be such competition for ,hc
alicnablc land A. would assure tho In.
lians fair price To the objection
that. even II the Indian should get
fair price. his improvident habits I
would soon deprive him of the price I
Of his land. is asserted that the /
improVidonce of such Indians az .
would be- affected Toy The proposed leg .
islatiun has been much exaggerated. I
Some q them are represented as be-
ing more I'm need Of money than land. I.
since. though they have large tracts .
Of fertile soil. many ~ them have f.
neither suitable homes to live In nor
The impl mcnts necessary To make
But the argument goes boldly far In
the best usc n their farms.
advance Of this contention u g. as.
serted that even ir jho Incompetence
and the improyidonce of these Indians
De- admitted. and that they would.
consequently. soon part with swim.
dlCrs' price Of their land. still they
would be- better un than they are.
The assertion H. bold one. but tnc
argument with which It is supported
! is plausible. II not convincing
II Is pretty well known that the ur.
binary Indian allottec has more land
/ than he has the means Or the inclin-
alton 10 cultivate. a part Of nearly
every allotment IL leased to white
man: many Of the allotments are
leased In their entirety With only
the brief tenures which Il is possible
to get. the rental Is not great In
many instances. II Is asserted. the
rental does not yield more than 2 or
q per cent on an appraisal one tenth
the value Of the land Tn" swindlr.
therefore. " the Indian were to sell
his surplus would have TO be- OF very
notable degree. II the transaction Is
to be more Improbable than the leas.
ing system.
But the folly Of the present status.
Il is held. Is more clearly shown In
another way. II there should be- no
statute law on the subject, the treat
les. generally speaking. would gov.
ern the alienation Of the surplus
lands. The provisions of these treat
les differ somewhat Ia the several
, nations. but substantially they provide
that the surplus lands of the miXot
bloods may be sold In three equa
parts in one. three and five years af
o. ter the Issuance of patents \ thir'
, OF the surplus of each allotment u
not a large tract II Is not laig'
, enough TO be desirable as q farm. an'
% II Il can find an outright purchase
, at all, It's value Is deprecated 10y It
:, smallness. To get around this dlG
j, Guilty the whole surplus OF allotment
= has been bought by the eXpedicnt q
contracts calling for the execution q
- the deeds when the land become
/ alienable az the end Of five years, =
q accordance with the treaties. BE-
= there Is some question as 10 the v
~ lidlty Of these contracts and as II
70 certain that lawyers can be found
a., contest these contracts. the unce
tainty shrinks the price which anyor
b, is willing TO oner for the land. II
. purely speculation, and the buy'
a. makes the odds to favor his end
the bet. As II Is already there mu
:, be an abundant harvest for lawye
~ and as the present conditions NJ
/, suffered 10 continue until by the tin
ba Oklahoma comes into the Union
A. will have need OF more courts 'hi
II any other state OF twice its size.
10 The welfare OF the individual,
IA well as the welfare OF the iuture COZ
=. monwealth. n Is thus made to q
-. pear. would be best subseryed by p'
a. hitting the alienation Of the surpl
lands Of the less than full'bloodi
a.. even though It be conceded that I
ho Indian would az once squander all
40 the poor price that might be expect
Ia from swindlers. Those who propc
=, this legislation, in other words, thi
., that It can be justified, even II all
10, the objections urged against II be
-, mitted. But not all of the obiectiC
=, are admitted II is conceded u
o. there would be moro swindling q
a., much improyIdence, but no paup
-, ism so long as the homes are k'