The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-11-05
W|ND|NGUP
AFFAIRS Of
FIVE TRIBES
GOVERNMENT is MAKING PAY
MENT OF THE FUNDS HELD IN
TRUST-SELlS' TRIP THROUGH
NORTHWEST.

gress has been made toward termina-
ton of the affairs of the Five Civilized
Indian tribes domiciled in eastern Ok
lahoma, according to report made to
the secretary of the interior by j.
George Wright, the retiring commits
sioner to the Five Tribes. Affairs of
the Cherokee Nation will be conclud-
ed as soon as payment of $S60,OO0 to
Al .693 citizens of the tribe is com
pleted, and now in progress, and the
deciding over of small tracts of land
for cemetery purposes. BY order of
the secretary of the interior last June,
all officers of the Cherokee Nation
were abolished save that of the prin-
cpal chief, who is temporarily contin-
ued for the purpose of executing deeds.
Similar report is made concerning
the Creek Nation where the govern
ment is making an equalization of al
otments by payment to about seven
teen thousand seven hundred citizens,
and involving several million dollars.
Before affairs of that tribe can be
ended, about $500 acres of unallotted
land, 16S town lots, the Creek Capitol
building at Okmulgee and five board
ing schools will have to be disposed
of. To the Seminole Indians $1,S0O,-
coo in tribal funds must be paid to the
.3119 members, before the department
can begin to end the tribal existence
of that nation.
Choctaws and Chickasaws.
The unfinished work in the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw Nations consist
chiefly of the disposition Of approx
imately one million four hundred and
twenty thousand three hundred and
twenty one acres of unallotted land,
which includes 96S,640 acres of timber
land. 25.600 acres or unallOtted lands,
and 431,OSO acres of segregated coal
and asphalt land surface. Sale of the
timber land Is in progress and sale of
the coal and asphalt surface begins
| Nov. 16. The final proceeds of all
tribal property in the Choctaw and
| Chickasaw Nations, including the coal
and asphalt. together with amount on
hand, the report says, will probably
reach 500 100000 or $30,000,000. The
L., t.g Innc n11lyn nSti-
mate of the value of the coal and as
phat deposits, but from various
sources some of them governmental
the minerals alone are reckoned as
being worth around $3000O,000. The
remaining lands of the two nations,
however, the report says, if properly
sold. should bring $7100,00O.
The segregated surface to be sold
| beginning this month embrace 3S5,S62
acres of agricultural and grazing land
and $4,000 acres of townsite property,
valued at more than $3,0OO0OO. The
average appraisement for the agricul-
tural and grazing land is 1888, and for
townsite property $l5.O2 per acre. Dur
ing the last fifteen years more than
forty-twO million tons of coal have
been taken from the beds in those
two nations. bringing an aggregate
royalty to the tribes of nearly $4,000
OOO. For the fiscal year ending June
30, the outputs were 2,9S2,294 tons of
coal and l.475 tons of asphalt, the
royalty upon the latter being $2,512.
Over s5,ooo,ooo on Deposit.
over $5OOO,OOO is on deposit in 2OS
national banks at 81 state banks sit
uated in the state of Oklahoma belong
ing to members of the five tribes, and
constituting their tribal funds The
average interest rate paid is AZ per
cent, bringing total revenue from