The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-11-24
INDIAN POW WOW
AT PAULS VALLEY
GOVERNOR JOHNSTON SAYS IN
DIAN TAXATION MEANS CON-
FIsCATlON OF LANDS.

The most important question be-
fore the Indians o. Eastern Oklahoma
is the tax question: said Governor
Douglas II. Johnston Of Emet yester-
day. The governor was here en- route
to Pauls Valley where an Indian mass
meeting is being he'd this afternoon
Continuing the governor said: III the
! United States government means 10
tax these lands they had as well con-
| liscate them and the Indian would
have been Just as well off if the gov
crnment had never allotted the lands
to the Indians but gave them to the
whites in the beginning. ! consider
that the Indian has paid his taxes,
we gave the white people our town
lots at one-half their value, we gave
many acres to churches and to GENE
teres and where any payments were
made for these lands the sums paid
were very small and not in keeping
with the value, and as long as | am
governor | am going to fight the In
dian tax question Just as long as
these lands are owned by the original
allottee no taxes should be collected.
We have treaty which guarantees
US this right. The federal govern.
ment has taken every benefit to it
self that was pro. ided fer in our trea-
ties and wacl the benefits are to he
distributed among the Indians the
courts are appealed to, We Nigh;
lose the taN decision. the government.
might give Oklahoma the right to
sell Indian lands for taxes, but that
does not make it right. 1t means the
conriscation of acre upon acre of land
and the Indian has "A right to resent
such treatment and this will be one
Of the leading questions to be dis
Cussed at the Pauls Valley meeting
The governor was accompanied BY
Frank Bourland, a prominent Indian
| attorney, who has been educated in
the best colleges Of the United States
and who agrees with the governor on
the question OF Indian land taxation.
| These gentlemen are opposed to the
! elimination of their tribal govern
mcnt. Their reasons are that whe;
! the government OF the Indians is
wiped out that whatever of their
lands that are not disposed of become
public domain and the Katy Railway
Company can come in for every alter
nate section according to contract
made many years ago and for the pur-
pose OF keeping these lands out of the
hands of the NJ. X. & T. the tribal gov
ernments should be kept alive. An
other reason is that the tribes could
not have legal representatives before
congress. Every tribe of uncivilized
Indians has its delegate in Washing
ton, expenses paid, but there is
concerted movement now being made
to deprive the Indians OF the Five
Civilized Tribes from delegate rep
rescntation in Washington.
One other question that Will come
up at the Pauls Valley meeting will
he the leased district matter. j. F..
McMurray, no represents the Indians
in a legal way, will read bill which
he proposes to have introduced dur
ing the session of congress which be-
gins the first Monday in December.
an dsome action will be taken upon
it. Mr.. McMurray shares with the
Indians in the belief that the Chicka.
saws and Choctaws should recover
from the federal government the value
of the lands of the Kiowa and Co
manche country which were known as
the Big Pasture and which were sold
BY the government to farmers.