The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-06-29

ta=ir plans and Their only chance lox
IS 70 legis-z-e through congress 10 COZ
fer TIE night OF t-Il citizenship upon
t-el- clients The Indians have been
very active Il att m2-ing . defea-
such measure and Chas. D. Garter,
Congressman from the Fourth coages-
s-o-al district has assisted N defeat
l-z so far. any measure that conferred
t-I citizenship upon The negro.
The attitude OF ,ae Indian toward
the negro is well known and The ant.7-
a-ay OF The I'D man for the black man
is demonstrated in the laws passed
5g he legislature "a early a. Is57
the negro in the Caickasaw nation
was disfrancaised and has never been
clothed with the elective franchise.
In 1855 this Law was followed Toy
another in which q negro was not al
lowed his oath in court except in cases
where only negroes we're the li-i-ants.
In other words the oath Of a negro
was not good in civil or criminal a.
ton where a white man or an Indian
vas involved. Under The last law
passed by congress re-opening the
rolls Of the Five Civilized Tribes +,
is alleged that the Indian desired the
rolls opened only 10 new born Indian
children while the interior depart
ment construed the law to mean both
Indian and freedmen children and four
hundred and sixty.three new born ne
gro children were given their allot-
ments. The Indians are now urg,nz
the government 10 refund to them the
value OF these lands so allotted 10 the
negro children. The recovery Of this
money is included in the McMurray
contracts as well as the eight or ten
millions of dollars the Indians allese
to be due them from the disposition
of the Kiowa and Comanche lands. or
leased district lands.
/ The house committee will also 20
into the matter OF the J. ". Howell
report made in 1908 This report
made bitter charges against the Dawes
commission, the special citizenship
court and the officials Of some or all
Of the Indian tribes. It was =. par
tiSan and bitter in its nature that it
Is said to have lost much Of its effect
Tor the reason that il seemed too par.
tisan in its nature
With reference to the protection OF
the Indian funds from the plunder
that Was proposed during the present
session OF congress another effort OF
| Congressman tarters stands out in
Ooid relief. When the fee OF $3.50, 900
was paid to the McAlester firm OF
lawyers they testified that included in
this fee vas the personal expense ac.
count OF attorneys in caring tor the in
terests oil the Indians and during this
| session a claim Tor 81, 900 was pre-
sehted 70 the interior department al
ieged TO De due "a expenses in these
citizenship cases. The claim was held
up at the suggestion OF Congressman
Carter.
Inc Investigations that will be ia
plogIess mere this summer are 81
loosely linked with the former charges
oi conspiracy to defraud brought
against Mansfield, McMurray & Cor.
nish, Governor Johnston, Ben Colbert
and others tha, the Investigation will
naturally lead into those fields that
have been thrashed out many times
before in the public press.
In the Investigation OF the McMur-
ray contracts he former acts of
McMnrray and his law partners will
come in for an investigation. The
tact that these lawyers have played
an important part in the political his
tory + the Chickasaw nation will
most probably be brought before the
committee. Some years ago when
Richard McLish a prominent tribes
man made the race for governor
against ID. II. Johnston It was alleged
that the law firm spent many hun.
dreds of dollars in the campaign to
elect J-hnston. \ special train was
run on the Rock Island from RYAN
through Chickasha. Lindsay. Pauls
Valley and Ardmore to Oakland which
was the only voting box in Pickens
county. According to the Indian poll
tical division Pickens county included
the territory from which about ten
counties were carved after statehood |
And this vast territory had only one
voting precinct This special train |
stopped on'he road wherever an Indian |
could be picked up. Men wero sent
in advance rounding up the Indians |
and getting them TO the railroad. No
matter whether they found the rail
road at Q station or not none Of them |
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