The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-04-12

81 II 10 g. j lle lhhAi'E tAe AAir-
saze of the bill through ,ho hous.
this Afternoon or tomorrow
Wash hinEton. d. &. April l4-in
The senate. tho conference report on
thc bnl providing Tor the settlement
~ the affairs Of the Five CIVILIZED
Tribes vas accepted without any Fur
mer debate. The hous" substitute
for the senate bill ra'.fylng agrc"-
mont With tne Brule lndians of South
Dakota sas accepted
washington. April 1.-The i've
tribes 5ih containing the provision
Tor the sale Of the Choctaw coal lands
IL Ehat Is kpown ia congress as \
deraztmental measure u Vas pre-.
pAred At The Interior department and
6-crlary Hitchcock reconmeudcd
SIS passage. Il was drawn az the
secroiArys direction By a commission
composed OF William c. Pollock. who
has been 10 The Indian service for
many years: Luther II Smith. chief
n the Indian Territory division %
she Indian bureau. This commission
prepared the bin last fall and when
congress met last December II Vas
sent 90 the speaker of the house by
Secretary Hitchcock with the Bill.
the secretary sent letter In which
he clearly fixes the responsibility for
the proposed legislation H. letter is
as foliows.
4 lnclose herewith O draft oi a bll.
inserted in the bill provision under
disposition OF the Affairs Of tho I've
civilized tribes In the Indian Territory
and for other purposes"
This draft has been prepared by a
committee appointed by me, and the
provisions are considered 10 DC noe
eSsary for the speedy adjustment OF
the affairs Of the Indians composing
said tribes. have carefully oxamin.
ID the provisions OF said bin and ear.
nostly recommend that N" matter re.
ceiye early and favorable action by
congress"
When the bin reached the house 10
vas referred by the speaker 10 the In.
dian committee Chairman Shcgmaa
uf that committee In turn referred u
20 a subcommittee OF which Repre-.
sentative Curtis Is chairman To this
subcommittee Is referred all proposed
legislation affecting the Indian Terri
tory. Mr.. Curtis introduced IL few
days later Tho bin Immediately be-
came known as the Curtis bin and
has been known ever since. In hir
statement when he called u up In tho
house. Mr. Curtis emphasized the fact
hat II was a departmental measure,
that Il had been prepared under Mr.
Hitchcock's direction and that tho sec.
rotary urged its passage Tho Kan.
Has congressman defended the bin on
The door as a departmental measure.
The original section relating 20 inc
coal lands Was as follows:
section l3.-That all coal ana rs
phalt lands and deposits In the Choc
taV and Chickasaw nations, whether
leased or Unbiased. segregated under
or the sale Of which has been author
ized by' any act Of congress shall be
sold AZ public auction under the d,r'c
lion OF the secretary of the interior
in bulk ior IN such parcels as De may
determine TO De for the best interests
N the tribes and under regulations
prescribed by him.
This section the house rejected. u
adopted Ia lieu thereof au amondmon.
offered by Roproscntaty Lacey of
Iowa. Withdrawing an tho min u
lands from sale and authorizing tho
Fecrctay ot the interior 90 lease tho
unl,ascI portions OF those lands. The
senate rejected this amendment and
inserted 30 the bin q prylsion under
which tho lands could bee neither sold
nor leased
The bin was then sent 90 confer
ence. Tho confereos restored the pro
vision authorizing the sccrc'sry Of
the interior 20 lease the lands II was
upon this substitute that Senator Ia
Toilette made his sensational attack
The senate rejected the substitute
and recommended the bill 20 the con
ference committee As finally agreed
upon the senate provision preventing
both the sale and leasing Of the lands
was adopted
Mr. Curtis Insists that from the be.
ginning he has advocated proposi'
ton that the government take the
lands. pay the Indians a portion Of
the royalties and use the rest for