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Show 22 OOMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. of the law but managed to evade punishment until his recent con-viction. Following this conviction he was k e d in the amount of $2,200 with a three years' sentence in the several cases against him. This hard fought and splendid victory, together with that obtained in the cases of other notorious bootleggers in Oklahoma, is a stern warning of the campaign being waged for the protection of the Indians against the liquor menace everywhere and has effectively. destroyed the organized illegal traffic in Oklahoma. An interesting ruling was handed down by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma wherein an Osage Indian who had received a certificate of competency was held to be still a ward of the Government and that it was a Federal offense to furnish him with liquor, thus establishing an additional safe-guard. The distribution of large amounts of money to the Osage Indians from time to time has heretofore brought about a condition resulting in their being debauched and defrauded. The application, however, of the law prohibitingathe payment of moneys to Indians who are intoxi-cated has largely diminished this evil, although it has not been com-pletely eradicated. The declaration by Congress that Osage County is Indian country for the purpose of the enforcement of liquor laws has proven exceed-ingly helpful, and during the quarterly payments our enforcement officers have been very active. The appropriation act for the current fiscal year authorized the payment to the enrolled memben of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole Tribes of an amount of approximately $9,000,000. This vast sum of money, as well as $2,000,000 to the Osages, has called for the most strenous efforts of the officers of the liquor servioe to prevent the use of liquor and the consequent debauchment of the Indiana. Our service was thoroughly mobilized and on guard, while the gov-ernor of the State, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and other officers were enlisted in the campaign for protection. The governor addressed letters to county officials, and their active cooperation solicited for the enforcement of law and order in the earnest effort to prevent payments being made to Indians who were habitual users of intoxicants. The Indian Office liquor suppression service made a thorough ce.nvass of the State, as a result of which it has found neees-sary to withhold payments in Pushmataha and Choctaw Counties besause of conditions prevailing there. In Choctaw County, the county attorney aud a prominent business man were apprehended for introducing liquor. These men were prosecuted and convicted, notwithstanding the great pressure brought to bear in their favor due to their prominence in the State. These prosecutions will have a |