The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-03-21
icAUSED ~ SWEEPING DECISION
REGARDING INDIAN LANDS.
AFFECTS AlL0TTEES RIGHTS
And Others Who Have Already Re.
ceiVed Patents to their Lands.
Indians are Now Filing on
those Lande-Litipatisn

INK TO the number of Indians who are
tentatively filing on the large bodies
Of laads that have been thrown open
under the decision OF Attorney Gen.
eral Bonaparte by his decision in
the Thompson, Mccoy, Vaughn and
other cases.
! This land lies mostly in the Chick.
asaw nation and partly In the Choc-
taw nation, greater part of whic.
| is under cultivation and has a mum.
Der Of valuable improvements there.
on. The land is located in 1902 town
ships. the bulk OF which IL in the
best part Of the country
Notwithstanding the fact that a
large number of people are tentative.
ly filing on the land the people
whose allotments have been cancel
ced and the ones who have had pat.
ents issued to them. as well as Ger.
|tificates and who have been thrown
out by the decision. are forming an
association TO take the matter up TO
the courts and before congress look
ing toward having their rights re-es-
tablishcd and their claims made good.
II is understood that Or CLAY Nc.
Coy and number of others have
spent considerable money in putting
improvements on the lands.
Attorney Chas. VouWcise. who was
interested in a number Of the eases,
and who just returned from Wash
ington a few days since, had the fol.
lowing to say regarding the sweep
ing decision which made people lose
so much. and who for years have
been considered as influential In.
dians, but who have been thrown off
the rolls by the decision of the at
torney general
Assistant Attorney General or the
department of the interior. in Ger.
tain cases, for instance, Lula West,
and w. c. Thompson. and the Richard
Coleman case, ruled that where a
person had tribal record or whose
name was on the tribal rolls or had
been admitted by the Indian commits.
sioner as citizen that the deputy of
the Dawes commission in 1896 TO
have enrolled such persons on the
roll II was then preparing; because
under the act Of June 10, 1896, said
commission was directed TO give due
force and effect to the rolls and Gus.
toms of the tribe.
} Said assistant attorney ! general
held In said cause that the refusal
, Of the commission In 1896 to enroll
? such persons was void for want Of
jurisdiction and the action Of the
United States court upon appeal was
Z void for the same reason, likewise
e the action of the Choctaw and
, Chickasaw citizenship court of ap-
: peal from the United States court.
The attorneys for TIE Choctaw and
Chicaksaw Nations induced the presi
dent to have the decision of the as
. slstant attorney general for the de
= partment of the interior in the above
named cases referred to Attorney
Bonaparte rendered n decision over
On February 18th Of this year, Mr.
Bonauarte rendered decision over
ruling the decision OF the assistant
, attorney general for the department
% of the interior, holding that the actor
- o. the United States citizenship cour
, was valid, and based upon that de
cision the department of the interior
has stricken from the rolls all per
r sons previously enrolled under th'
decision of the assistant attornel
general of the department Of the in
? terror.
| Attorney General Bonaparte's decis
ion affects the status of many lead
ing citizens of the Choctaw and Chic
kasaw nations like DIR. Clay McCo
IL and benjamin J. Vaughn. Their case
r. never having been before the ChoC
- Jaw anu iH'hhHhN 'lAlN'iohAp N'Ai
Is but only before the Dawes commits
g. sion I'm 1885, and before the Unite
1t States court upon appeal, Bonaparte'
le opinion holding that the case befor
the citizenship court annuied the dc
cision of the United States court LEI
'e these parties without any status a
80 citizens.
So sweeping is the effect of thi
81. opinion that between 10000 and II
"a 900 people are affected.
1t is generally known that the pa
OF ties affected are forming an assoc
he alton to appeal the matter The II
III justice Of the department OF the il