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Show I REPORT OF THE COMNISSIONER 0k INDIAN AFFAIRS. 115 by the laws of the Creek Nation interfered with the rights of the indi-vidual citizen to receive rent for hia proportionate share, and that cattle introduced into the Creek Nation to be eonfined to paatures composed of individual tracts, allotted or selected, under regulations prescribed by the Department October 7,1898, were exempt fiom the penalties imposed in section 2117. The language of the Department is as follows: The evident purpose of the quarantine law of the Creek Nation was to prevent injury to the nstive cattle by ooming in oontact with the Texaa cattle that might be shipped into the nation within the time prohibited by aaid tribal statute. Siuoe you report that there is no danger of suah oontmiustion, especially if the foreign cattle he oonfined in the psstores whioh may he leesed from the individual citizens under said rnies and regulations of Ootober 7, 1898, there would seam to be no goad reason whythe Tern cattle should not be allowed to come into mid nstion, in order that the individual oitieens may derive revenue from the leasing of their pmportion-ate shares, whiah they are expresely authorized to do under the proviso in seotion ' 16 of said act of June 28. 1898. Hesides, the manifest &ect of ssid proviau it, puction 16 of ssid act w a ~ wena ble '1 rhe indivtdual eitirell to derivo ruveulre from the uau or I~s s ingo f landa of whirh he might be in posaessiou whioh did not exceed hi8 share and that to which his wife and minor obildren are entitled, prior to the time when hia final allotment of said lauds should be made to him, and it was with the view of enabling the individual citizen to .s, e t the benefit to whioh he wes entitled under asid seotions ~~ ~ 16 and 23 ot' aaid aa:t tbar said rrgulations of October 7, 1W, were preaeribed. TheComn~iasiun to the b'ivuClvili7e<l Triboa hss forwarded some thirty-two lessee for lands executed under the provisions of ssid regulations of Ootober 7,-1898, which they have recommended for approval. It is the nnderabnding of the Department , that the rental a p e d to be paid to the laasore is a fair and reasonable amount and all that the lessees osn well afford to pay. In oases, therefore, where parties have entered, or shall hereafter enter, into lesses with individual Indians under ssid rules and regulations of Oatober 7,1898, in the Creek Nation, the tax of $2 required by said seetion 334 of the Creek laws will not be required to he paid in addition to the amount stipulated for in the several leesea which may be approved by the Department, sod to that extent said regulations of Jnly 21 and July 26,1898, are hereby modified; but it muat be underatood that the parties entering into ssid leases moat show good faith in their every act, snd where esttle are brought into the Creek Nation and are not oonfined to the pestores for which the owners of suoh cattle have entered into leases with individual Indians under esid rnlas and regula tions section 2117 of the Revised Statutes will be rigidly enforced, snd to this end you are enjoined to exercise special diligence in order that no person or corporation shall 5ttttempt or be able to evade the rulings of the Department by turning their cattle loose on the public domain of said nation or by any sotion in violation of the lettar or the spirit of the instructions of the Department as above set forth. Hay.-The laws of the Cherokee Nation provide a, tax in the form of a royalty on all hay shipped out of the nation. By a telegram dated July 20,1899, hspeotor Wright asked: Is all haj nhipped from the Cherokee Nation oonsidered suhjeot to tax: or i. that cut on pro rats shares eaempcq If so, would I be authorized to seize all hay deliv-ered a t railroad for shipment until shown by evidence suoh was cut from land exempt? If burden reate upon us to show it is not so cut, would he impracticable to enforce tribal law. Large quantities we being shipped. What sotion should I take in matter$ |
