The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-06-29
ASKS HOUSE TO CONCUR IN SEN
AToR WILLIAMS AMEND
MENT TO BILL.
MAKES VIGOROUS ATTACK
ON SENATOR R. |. owen
Accuses Oklahoma Senator of Contra
dieting Himself on Indian Question
Says Oklahoma People Have Robbed
the lndians-Pleads for Fairness.
Special to The Netcs.

Special to The Netos.
Washington, June 29.--The claims of
the mistreated Mississippi Choctaws |
for justice at the hands of the govern !
ment were for the third time, since |
he came to Congress three years ago,
presented in the House of Representa-
tives this afternoon by Congressman
Pat Harrison when the Indian appro-
priation bill, as amended in the Senate
last week, was taken up.
| Mr.. Harrison spoke to his motion to
instruct the House conferees to concur
| in the Senate amendments, which in
clude the Williams amendment provid-
ing that no per capita payments shall
be paid out of the funds held in trust
by the government for the five civiliz-
cd tribes until the Mississippi Choc-
taws, not on the rolls, shall have an op-
portunity to establish their claims.
The Williams amendment, adopted
in the Senate the other day after the
Oklahoma Senators had made des-
perate effort to defeat it, if adopted
will virtually amount to instructions to
Congress to enact legislation for the
relief of the Mississippi Choctaws who
claim rights under the Dancing Rabbit
Treaty of 1880.
owen Changes Stand.
Senator Robert L. Owen, of Okla
homa, who was formerly an attorney
for the Mississippi Choctaws, but who
no longer sees the justice in their
, claims that he so convincingly pre-
sents in a brief filed in the Court of
Claims here in his suit for an enorm-
Gus fee, led the fight in the Senate
against the Williams amendment.
1t was on the contradictory state
: ments of the senior senator from Okla
homa as attorney and then as senator
> that Mr. Harrison largely based his
arguments today.
; "The senior senator from Oklahoma
who fought this proposition so per-
; sistently in the Senate some days ago
knows more about the outrages COM
mitted on, and legislation enacted os-
: tensibly for but patiently against the
Mississippi Choctaws than any other
: living man." said Mr.. Harrison. "He
4 represented them for number of
years and has now pending in the
Court of Claims in this city a suit for
large attorneys fee. He personally
prepared and filed brief in this case
, only about twelve months ago.
"In the discussion in the Senate the
other day the senator contended that
e the Mississippi Choctaw should remove
to Oklahoma and that he failed to be
enrolled because of that fact. In his
brief, he said: Owen and Winton main
q tanned that they should not remove al
:, all unless they pleased"
!, Reads Congressman's Letters
Mr.. Harrison then read letters from
. Oklahoma members of Congress tt
:. their constituents, showing that theil
contention was to finally distribute
the proceeds of the tribe among thu
- enrolled members by the manner pro
posed in the present bill.
He showed that the Oklahoma Choc
taw had in 1899 recovered by suit prat
tically $3,OO0,OOO from the Unite'
g States government for injuries an
wrongs done the Mississippi ChoctaW
and that every cent of this judgmen
- had gone to the Oklahoma ChoctaW
"The blackest pages in the histor
of Oklahoma as a state and territor
IN is the way your people have roppe
" the Indian" said Mr.. Harrison.
s, 1--WE can, and we do by this bill,
le you will allow this amendment to sta
e. in, prevent these poor Indians froi
Sc being robbed. For my part, you cal
a. not go further than l in seeing ths
es they be not robbed. | don't think to
es great a punishment can be infiicte
IN when a sharp, shrewd, willy Indian a
ne torney tries to extort wrongfully fe
H. or money from ignorant people"
es Wants Equal Justice.
ne Mr.. Harrison pleaded for equal ju
tContinued on Page Three.)