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Show REPORT OF THE OO~S8IONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 83 is as follows: Commencing on the west line of the Creek Nation, adjoining the right of way of the St. Louis and San Francisco Hailway, thence east along the south side of said right of way to Sapnlpa, Creek Nation, Ind. T., 51 miles; also commencing at the town of Sapulpa and extending southerly through the Creek, Seminole, and Chickasaw nations to Red River, 194 miles; also commencing on the west line of the Seminole Nation, adjoining the right of way of the Choctaw, Okla-homa and Gulf Railroad, extending easterly along the right of way of that railroad through the Seminole, Creek, and Choctaw nations to the town of South McAlester, a distance of 70 miles; also commencing in the Chickasaw Nation, on the right of way of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, southerly from the town of Scullin, extending thence along the base line to the town of Sulphur, 6 miles; also com-mencing at a point immediately north of the town of %via and extend-ing east along the base line to the town of Tishomingo, 5 miles-a total distance of 326 miles. May 16,1901, the Muskogee NationalTelephone Company, by B. E. English, its secretary and treasurer, filed a protest against granting the above-described right of way, alleging that the Creek council had granted to it the exclusive privilege of building and operating telephone systems within the Creek Nation for a period of fifteen years; and that i t had expended several thou~andd ollars in building and operating telephone systems through the Creek Nation, for which privilege it is paying that nation an annual tax of 5 per cent. Request was made that rival companies should not be granted privileges without an oppor-tunity for the Muskogee National Telephone Company to be heard. June 10 the company, in further explanation of its protest, claimed a preference right to establish telephone systems in the Creek Nation by v i h e of the act of the Creek council above mentioned. May 27, 1901, the Department directed that the Muskogee National Telephone Company be granted ten days from notice to prepare any statement it might desire to make relative to the application of the ArkansauValley Telephone Company. Such a statement was embodied in the letter of June 10, above referred to, and also in a letter dated July 2, in which it was stated that the Muskogee National Telephone Company had in operation a long-distance teIephone line from Wagoner, in the Creek Nation, to Eufanla, a distance of about 50 miles; the company further protested against granting permission for the construction of a parallel line by the Arkansas Valley Telephone Com-pany, the Indianola Telephone and Telegraph Company (referred to hereafter, page 86), or any other company. The protest of the Indian Territory Telephone Company against the granting of a right of way to the Indianola Telephone and Telegraph Company, referred to on page 85, was considered in connection with the protest of the Mnskogee National Telephone Company-the same |