The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-02-23
MAY IGNORE STATE COURTS
The Garfield Jurisdie.ional Bill has
Stirred up the Animal-And Dis.
missal Of az Suits in one Ok
lahoma Court Alone.

the interior department In It's roll
as championship Of the Garfield ju-
risdictional bill which has stirred up
the animal in both oklahoma and
Washington, and threatens to become
one Of the live issues In the next
political campaign Democrats will
doubtless charge The republicans
with an attempted infringement on
state rights and just how the repub-
Leans will dodge that issue in face
of Garfields we'll known activities
in behalf Of that measure is diff
cult to forctell. 1t Is true that the de-
partmcnt claims that the Indians are
in favor of the proposition and cite
I'm support of their contention the
action of the national council of the
Creek nation which recently endors-
ed the plan. On the other hand there
was strong minority in the council
that opposed the proposition. or
course the department makes no
mention of that fact.
\ well known official of the inter
ior department who refuses to per
nit the use Of his name, is authori-
~ for the statement that there is
not only warrant a law for the bill
advanced by the department but
that the conditions in the new state
absolutely demand its enactment In
to law. He calls attention to the
fact that II suits were recently dis
missed in one court alone in Oklaho-
ma within the past ten days In
which the government and Indians
were joint Plaintiffs.
Inadequacy of consideration We're
the grounds on which the govern
mcnt predcated its suits. The facts
remain. however. that the Indians
directly Interested and who made
the lease did not consider themselves
mder-paid and so Informed the court
when the matter was first aired.
II was for this reason that the suits
were dismissed
Now the government holds that
the indian whose restrictions have
not been removed does not know
what is best for him and in its ca
pacity of guardian maintains its
right to 80 into the state and fed
eral courts whenever its ward has
entered into business deal without
the knowledge and consent of the in
terror department, right that has
only lately been disputed. The de-
partmcnt could not ignore the state
courts entirely and give the federal
courts complete ana original juris-
l diction i'm all cases where the In
dans are of class whose restric-
tons have not yet been removed
The action of the oklahoma court
| in it's wholesale dismissal of the
above mentioned suiTs Is considered
! little more than an outrage by the
| legal department of the interior de-
| partmeut and is cited in support of
| the contention that the Indian can
not get square deal in the state
| courts. The contention that the In
dams would be put to great expense
and Inconvenience because of the de-
/ lays and inaccessibility of federal
courts compared with state courts
is answered in this way: The de-
partment claims that the expense
would practically be nothing because
the government would take it upon
| itself to pay the costs of litigation
/ in the federal courts, The fact that
an extra large circuit of federal
| courts is maintained in east Okla
| homa, according to the government,
should answer the question OF dis
tancc 70 rail- time.
Grady. stephens. kiowa, Jackson,
Comanche and Cleveland counties in
| the past few days have passed reso-
/ mtions endorsing Representative
Scott Ferris record in congress, All
of which goes To show Mi Ferris Il
shrewd political general. 1t seems
as though Claude Weaver OF Pauls
| Valley better known as the 'perpet
ual candidate is no longer running
against Ferris All OF these counties
have sent Bryan delegates 20 the
state convention at Muskogee. The
remaining sixteen counties IN the big
Fifth congressional district are yet
TO be heard from, but are also ex-
pected to register in favor OF Bryan,
Haskell aud Ferris.
The new an additional sets OF can
didates for the naval academy at
Annapolis are announced from the