The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-07-22
Members Of Oklahoma Delegation
Put Up Plucky Fight to Defeat
the Williams Amendment
in the House
FERRIS DELIVERS
TELLING SPEECH
Digs into History and Proves that
Mississippi Choctaws are Not En-
titled to Enrolment Attor-
neys' Schemes Exposed

| washington, July 22.-Although the
| mouse members of the Oklahoma dele
cation recently won decided victory
wnen they succeeded in defeating the
altelnpt to enroll the Mississippi. Choc.
laws, the fight is by no means ended
Another attempt will be made by Pat
harrison and his followers to have
Inc amendment reinserted when the
conference report is again laid be-
fore the house. Carter, Ferris and
tnose members from the state who
yet remain in Washington are whet-
ting their knives for another lively
skirmish as soon as the question bobs
up again, at which time 1t will be Wig
orously combatted by them. They in
tend to let no grass grow under their
ieet but to wage the war against the
enrolment of the Mississippi Choc
taws so longs as the question retains
spark of life in it and to eventually
forever put it to rest, If such thing
possible.
A few weeks ago in fights led bv
John Sharp Williams In the senate.
ihe amendment was twice agreed to.
and its adherents looked for an easy
victory in the house when it reached
mat body. However. the Oklahoma
members had been quietly at work in
the meantime among their many
trends in the house and when the
iirst vote came In the committee of
the whole. resulting in disagree
ment, Pat Harrison and his followers
were completely dumhfounded.
Harrison then began laying his
wires and waging a bitter campaign
among the membership Of the house
to again bring the question to a vote
on roll call, which he succeeded in
doing few days later. However.
things had been completely livened
up in the house in the meantime by
the speeches made by Ferris, Carter
and Murray against the amendment to
enroll the Mississippi Choctaws. and
rough shedding was in sight for Har-
rison.
In these speeches there were
| brought out many astounding facts
and arguments against the enrolment
proposition before the most attentive
audience in the house that has been
in evidence during the hot days. These
speeches had the effect of saving
many vote to the Oklahoma dele
cation and of completely routing the
Pat Harrison followers. In an effort
to stem the tide that was sweeping
against him, Harrison talked so loud
and so long that his voice grew weak
and hoarse, but without avail. The
final roll call vote was 153 to go in
favor of the Oklahoma boys. This
meant the sending of the amendment
back to conference and of virtually
disagreeing to it.
Ferris intimately reviewed the his
tory of Indian legislation, Indian
treaties and Indian decisions by fed
eral courts for almost a hundred
years back and concIusively demon.
strated to his Interested hearers that
the Mississippi Choctaws have no
right to enrolment either from the
standpoint of law, equity or good
morals.
Ther ewas introduced into the rec
ord by the Oklahoma trio copy OF the
proceedings before the Carter enroll
ment committee embracing copies of
correspondence where 1t was shown
that attorneys behind the move to en-
roll the Mississippi Choctaws had
made contracts with those whom they
} sought tc. -Lscx. wse,eby the &stor-
} neys had received enormous fees. the
contracts providing for contingent
fee Of from twelve and half to forty
per cent of the value Of each share.
, OF contracts held by one firm Of at
torneys alone with more than 10000
| half breeds, negroes and others, whom
: they sought to enroll. / was shown
: that the individual fees for one mem
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