The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-07-09

To the Voters of the Fourth Congress
sional District:
In announcing my candidacy for re-
election to Congress from the Fourth
Congressional District, | do not pro-
pose, like my opponents, to tand up
on flimsy pretense and e 'ossible
promise; but prefer to hav. look
carefully into my record of ave-
ments and see if it does not ~ ut
a continuation of the support &
have so generously given me III e.
past.
Out of consideration for your time,
no complete resume of my o1lclal
work since you first honored me with
a commission to represent you, Will
be attempted. I will be perfectly
satisfied if you will read carefully the
short statement, made by an official
of the House and appended hereto,
which is intended to give brief OUT
line of the most important local mat
ters of general interest which | nave
had a part in accomplishing.
When made my first race for Con-
gress | promised that | would devote
the major portion of nv efforts toward
securing legislation for a final set
tlement of tribal affairs, removal or
restrictions and taXations OF Indian
lands.
Bv reference to my record, append
ed hereto, it will be seen that all leg
islation for the winding up of tribal
affairs. save one item, has been placed
on the statute books. | expect in
the future as in the past to make 1t
a part of my business to see that the
Department expedltes this work with
all possible dispatch.
Restrictions on alienation and taxa
ton lands were removed from nine
and one-half million acres of land
by the Act of May 27, 1908, which
I assisted in drafting and worked out
of the Committee to its final passage.
Owing to the recent Supreme Court
decision in the case of Choate VS..
Trapp. all lands of the Choctaws and
Chickasaws. not sold, have been with
drawn from taxation. AS soon as this
decision was rendered I introduced
and began to push for passage two
bills seeking to relieve the tax situ-
alton in our State.
The first of these bills CHI. R.
24663), provides for refunding to
the State, from the federal treasury,
of all taxes lost by the court decision
In candor, l must admit that this Dill
will meet with most vigorous opposl-
tion on account of the large approprl-
alton it will necessitate from the fed
eral treasury, but with the assistance
of our State and county officials, |
believe that We will, in the end, sue
ceei in securing this full measure of
relief for our people.
The other (H. r. 255OO, provides
for the removal of restrictions and
sale of all Choctaw and ChickasaW
allotted lands except an eighty-acre
homestead of Indians Of one-half or
more Indian blood. This bill, when
enacted into law, will remove restric-
tions on and place upon the market
almost three-fourths of the present
restricted allotments, and add to our
taxable values millions of dollars
worth of taxable property. The bill
has been favorably reported by the
House Committee on Indian Affairs,
and | hope to get same passed before
Congress adjourns. This bill only re-
serves eighty acres of restricted land
for homestead of Indians OF one
half or more Indian blood and is the
very best that can be procured from
the present Congress- A complete re-
moval of restrictions from the last
vestige of lands of the full blood In