The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-02-21
COUNTY WINS
TAX PAYMENTS
GOVERNMENT TO PAY ON THE
INDIAN ALLOTMENTS IN
STEVENS COUNTY
Justness of Claims Put Forth BY
Counties Is Recognized by
Congress

lakes on lnuldn allOtmentS IN Ste
vens and Ferry counties will be paid
by the government, according to the
Jones amendment to the annual
Indian appropriation bill which has
recently passed congress.
A letter from Congressman }.
Stanley Webster, dated Feb. 1, states:
81 am very happy to be able to
report to you that Senator Jones was
successful in causing to be inserted
in Fl. r. 1853 a bill making ap-
preparations for the current and con-
tingent expenses of the bureau of
Indian affairs, and for other pur-
poses, an amendment which reads as
follows: 'The secretary of the in
terror is authorized and directed
to investigate and report to congress
on or before the first Monday of
December, 1920, as to the right of
Stevens and Ferry counties in the
state of Washington, to the payment
of taxes on allotted Indian lands
under existing law and to state the
amount, if any, to which each of said
counties is entitled
Through q little boosting on my
part the house conferees receded
from their disagreement to this
amendment and today the conference
report was agreed to in the house
containing the above amendment.
have conferred with Senator Jones
and he feels, as | do, that this will
enable us to secure an appropriation
covering the amount found to be due
at the short session of congress
which will convene on the first Mon
day of December, 1920"
Thus ends successfully a fve-year
contest the two counties have made
In 1914 the attention of the COM
missioners of both counties was
called to a clause in an act opening
the North Half of the Colville reser-
walton, providing that taxes on the
Indian allotments could be paid out
of the fund produced by the sale of
nonallotted lands. The allotments
were approved in 1910, and no taxes
had ever been paid OH them. They
We're the choicest land in their re-
spective localities, and the home
steaders who came later and took
the remaining land, which was great
1xr honn nhlfpa1 TO
build the roads, support the schools,
and in fact, bear the entire expense
of taxation for the benefit of the
Indians as well as themselves.
Early in 1915 the county commits
sioners of Stevens and Ferry counties
decided to try to secure taxes for the
Indian allotments from the govern
ment. They employed the best
special legal and other expert assist
ants for the purpose. Preparing
the details of the claims required
over seven months, and records of
hearings and rehearings before the
bureaus at Washington would make
too long a story.
Representatives of the counties
who were pushing the claims were
continually encouraged by the fact
that on these hearings officers of the
Indian bureau and of the Indian de-
partment never questioned the justice
and fairness of the contention of the
counties, but took the ground that
there was not sufficient authority of
law to permit them to make the pay
ment.
The matter was recently called es-
pecially to the attention of Senator
Wesley L. Jones and of Congressman
]. Stanley Webster, who were fully
convinced that the counties were en-
titled to the relief asked, and with
the consistent effort of the Indian
bureau and of the department of the
interior, won out.
Payment of these taxes will be
a direct benefit to every taxpayer in
both counties.
nm