Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1910-10-06
Government Licked.
Judge Campbell Makes Decision
on Matters-Of Importance
to This Section.

kIG8S uOAoC 0UOuS ASoOSS @N
the Quapaw Indians lands, on
which the leaseholders had spent
a great deal of money in develop
ing lead and zinc mines, claiming
that many of the leases were ille-
gal, and after much newspaper
advertising in which the district
was blackened as much as the
Federal Press Bureau could black
en- It, under which TRADE the de-
velopment stopped and the dis
trict lost enormously, affecting
many of the developing company's
to the extent of losing all they
had invested, while the Qnapaw
Indians were deprived of the leg
, itimate income of their lands, on
account of the stoppage of the
mine development. In fact every
thing and everybody in this whole
vicinity lost heavily except the
Government Employees and those
associated with them, who did
not fail to MAKE Hay" while
the blackening process was under
way, for they knew that when
they had to present their case
before a court of justice that 1t
would be all over; however, it
answered their purpose and they
got the peoples money to the ex-
| tent of thousands of dollars, in
the way of salaries, fees, extras,
ETC., besides scooping in some Of
the Indians lands at panic prices,
the same being the result of the
energetic blackening the lands
received by the very parties that
procured these lands, not even
stopping to spare the widows and
orphans of the deceased Indians.
The whole balloon was shot
full of holes when the Govern
ment cases were laid before the
Honorable Ralph E. Campbell,
Judge of the United States Cir
cult Court, at Muskogee, Okla
homa, whose decision was handed
down during the past week.
This decision holds that the
Congressional Act of June 9TH,
1897, allowing the Quapaw In
dams to lease their lands for min
ing purposes, ETC., for a term Of
ten years. was a modification OF
the alienation clause Of the AL
lotment Act, and therefore the
Ouapaw Indians can lease their
lands, free from any Government
tai. or other supervision, tor ten
years for mining aud business
purposes, and three years for
farming or grazing purposes.
Further, that after making such
lease or leases, that the 1ndiar
may, by consent of his lessee,
Icancel such lease and execute an
other lease. provided, at all times,
that such leases are made within
the limit and for the purposes
provided by Congress in enacting
the above law; that the govern
ment has no iAtSrRst in any such
leases, and, therefore, cannot
through any pretext, interfere
between such Indian and his
lessee.
The Government was most ag-
Rressive on the contention that
when an Indian once executes a
ten year lease. that his hands
we're then tied for ten years. and
he or no one else could release
him, until the ten years had ex-
PRED. Such a ridiculous stand
was chIId-like, and being so I'M
teuable, tiled many, who watched
this, whole proceeding, to feel
that it was put forth, not in good
faith, but to serve an Interior
purpose, and particularly so
when the employee of the depart
ment began to procure the Indian
lands away below their intrinsic
value.
This contention was set aside
at once BY the presiding judge,
It being one of the strongest
points the government set up IN
Its complaint against the lease
holders, and it was the weakest.
In fact il was absurd. Judge
campbell's decision Ii full fol-
lows:
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