The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-07
CHIC.CnOC NATIONS
NEVER CONFIRMED
Alleged That Many Names
We're Placed on Rolls
Through Fraud

Washington. D. c. March 1.-THE
remarkable statement that seven of
the eight so-called authentic and Off
cial citizenship rons OF the Choctaw
and Chickasaw Nations. known as the
1855 census roll. 1898 leased district
payment roll 1896 census roll of the
Choctaw Nation and the 1878 annuity
roll, 1893 leased district payment roll.
MaFtubby roll, leshatnbby roll OF Chic
kasaw residing in the Choctaw Nation
who drew the leased district money as
Chickasaws all Of the Chickasaw Ma
tion were not confirmed or ratified by
the legislative bodies of those two ma
tions OF approved by the chief execu-
tives Is contained IN the J. George
Wright report just send to congress
in response to the Clapp resolution
which called upon the interior depart
ment for in formation on this and kin
dred subjects 1t is a matter of gen
eral information" continues Mr.
Wright in his report in said nations
that the rolls made prior to that time
were merely census rolls made up sep
arately according to counties and dis
tricts by individual census takers in
such counties and districts and which
We're never brought together or con
solidated so far as to form a complete
roll of tribal members.
The rolls made under the provi-
sions OF the act of congress uf June
10, 1896 by the tribal authorities have
never received the confirmation OF the
Legislative bodies of the two nations
nor the approval of the chief execu-
tlves; so that at the inception OF the
work of the enrolment of the cti-
zens of these two nations the commits
sion was only furnished with the two
rolls above referred 10 and made an
der the provisions of the act Of cong
ress of June 10, 1896 and which the
commission was informed contained
inaccuracies
The two rolls referred to il seems
We're made in 1897 in conformity with
an act of congress known as dhe act
OF 1896 On July 30, S97 the prin-
cipal chief OF the Choctaw Nation adj
vised the Dawes commission of the
/ Forwarding by express the revised
rolls of the ChoctaW Nation contain
ing the names of the citizens by blood,
marriage or adoption and In this con.
nection states as follows; THE law
requiring the taking OF the roll re-
quired il to be approved by the prin-
cipal chief, but as there are names on
the rolls that ! am satisfied ought not
to be there, ] will not approve OF the
rolls until these cases are investiga-
ted / viii furnish You IN a few days
lall the evidence can bearing on these
cases"
The governor of the Chickasaw Ma
tion on July %, 1897 in reply to the
lrequest Of the commission advised us
as follows:
we have only one authenticated
roll OF citizens and shat is the one
approved by the Legislature I'm 1896
and on December %, 1897 the eoYer
nor OF the Chickasaw Nation advised
the commission that he had that das
forwarded true COPY OF the roll oi
our people; the best W. can 10 under
present circumstances Any informa
tiOn YOU may wish In regard to same
viii be gladly given if within nay pow
er to do so,
Here are two rolls that are used b,
the Dawes commission in preparing
the final rolls One which the prin
cipal chief declared contained tn,
names Of people had no right to be
there and the other a true copy Of the
roll OF our people; the best we can ds
under the present circumstances.
whicf reads as though the governor
would intimate that il was not a nna
or complete roll.
The preparation Of the final rOlli
by the Dawes commission was a hercu
lean task unGer the circumstances "A,
doubt The sitting process was neces
sarily slow and tedious aud II thar,
rs anything wrong with the rolls M
finally prepared by that body It seem
as though the chaotic condition in tn
Offices OF the national secretaries O
both tribes Is largely to blame.
For instance Mr. Wright reports tina
the memorandum rolls from which thi
census rolls We're made aud all othe
lparts OF rolls Ia possession of tn
Muskogee Office contain many name
which have been lined out with inl
or pencil names interlined la penci
or with ink of a different kind iron
that used Ia the preparation of th
rolls and no information could ever b.
secured from the tribal officials tend
ing 10 show By whom or under wha
authority such corrections and inter
lineations We're made.
No rolls We're ever approved by IN
ChOctaw and Chickasaw tribal author
ities as in the case OF the 1890 an
thenticated Greek roll on the 1880 al
lthentlcated Cherokee roll and this OF
Iflce mas continuously received protest
from tho choctaw anl Chickasaw NJ
tons against the enrolment OF pei
sons whose names We're alleged hav
been placed on the rolls taroue
fraud or without authority ol law
Aud nealn an rolls obtained b
Commissioners Rlxby and Mciienno