The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-11-30
SPEECH MADE
BY c. D. CARTER
THURSD AY
TREATY RIGHTS ASSOCIATION
HEARS POINTED REMARKS
FROM CONGRESSMAN FROM
THIS DISTRICT.
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the
Treaty Rights Association:

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the
Treaty Rights Association:
When | first sought election to con-
gress you will perhaps recall that
called attention to things necessary
TO be done for a winding up Of tribal
affairs
First, | favored the removal of re-
strctions on Indian allotments: sec
ond, the sale of the unallotted lands; ;
third the sale of the segregated min
cral lands; fourth, the sale of the
timber reserve, and fifth distribution
per capita of the proceeds Of these
sales and other tribal moneys to the
duly enrolled members of the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw nations.
Let us see what has been done
for the accomplishment of this pro-
gram. The re3tuclinl3 have Deen
removed on about ten million acres of
allotted lands. The unaiio,,ed lands
have been completely sold. One sale
has been made of the segregated
mineral lands and another is adver-
tised to take place during January
One sale has been made of the seq
regated timber lands and other will
likely take place soon after the next
sale of the segregated mineral land.
We have passed through the house
on four different occasions by over
whelming majorties a provision for
a per capita distribution of your
funds, but our senators found con-
dition in the United States senate
which they were for a long time un-
able to overcome. At last that bar
rier has been removed and both sena-
tors owen and Gore feel confident
they can put the payment item
through next winter after 1t has been
passed by the house. This will effect
ually close all tribal affairs except
the sale of the mineral in the segre-
gated mineral land of which some
disposition should be made at the ear
liest possible moment but such
strong opposition has been made TO
the sale of these minerals that |
doubt the advisability of embarrass-
ing a per capita payment bill with an
item for the sale of the minerals.
That, however, should be put through
congress as soon as possible after
the other fight for a division OF your
funds is disposed of. In fact. the OK
lahoma delegation has done every
thing in its power to finally WIND
up the tribal affairs, and | believe
congress can be persuaded to take
the last step for supporting our dele
cation in the next congress in a bill
for a final division of your funds.
During the last fight for per
capita payment we sat almost iiVe
months in a committee room holding
hearings and taking testimony on
the Mississippi Choctaw and other
enrolment questions. About 1000
pages of evidence is included in the
hearings. This evidence discloses
the fact that two firms of attorneys
alone hold contracts with something
more than fifteen thousand apph-
cants for citizenship in the Choctaw
and Chickasaw nations, and that the
contingent fees of these attorneys
aggregate about eleven million dol
lars. \ syndicate known as the
Texas Oklahoma Investment company
has been organized and capitalized at
500 .OOO for the purpose of financing
these contracts and procuring legis-
lation for the enrolment of Missis-
sippi Choctaws and others.
The original strength of the en-
rollment forces is represented by
some fifty.ive or sixty congressman
from Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama
and other surrounding states. Now,
what does all this mean? And why
do these people oppose payments to
the Choctaws and Chickasaws in OK
lahoma? If only these fifteen or SIN
teen thousand applicants of these
two firms of attorneys (and this Is
~ n