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Show 152 REPORT OF THE C O ~ S S I O N E R OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. Q. What is your am?-A. Fortv.- six v" ears. Q. \Vhat is YUI IT po? t -~niatd~d red$?-A. Colbert, Ind. T. Q. Ifare vou ever been recotmized bv the tribal authorities of the Chuctaw Nation as a citizen bf the Choctaw ati ion?-A. No, sir. Q. Have you ever been enrolled by the tribal authorities of the Choctaw Nation as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation?-A. No, sir. Q. Does your name appear on the tribal rolls of the Choctaw Nation?-A. No, sir, (The tribal rolls of the Choctaw Nation examined and the name of Charley C. Yeiser not found thereon.) Q. Were you admitted by the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation under the act of Congress approved June 10,18961-A. No, sir. (The citizenship record of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, under act of June 10, 1896, examined and the name of Charley C. Yeiser not found thereon.) Q. Were you admitted by the United States court for the Indian Territory, upon an appeal from the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, as a citizen of the Choc-taw Nation under the act of June 10,18961-A. No, sir. (The court records examined and the name of Charley C. Yeiser not found to have been admitted by a judgment of the United States court for the Indian Territory.) Your application for enrollment as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation is refused for the reason that under the set of Congress approved May 31, 1900, the Indian appro-priation bill, this commission has no authority to receive, consider, or make any record of the application of any person for enrollment of any tribe in the Indian Territory, as a citizen thereof, who has not been recognized as a citizen thereof and duly enrolled or admitted as such. Said law further provides that the refusal of this commi~sionto entertain your application shall he final whenapproved hy the Secretary of the Interior. In the event that you should desire to appeal from this decision to the Secretary of the Interior, you are at liberty to do so, and this commission will transmit this decision refusing your application, together with any argument in support of such appeal as you may desire to transmit, to the honorable Secretary of the Interior. Office report of June 30,1900, took the position that the commission asked Mr. Yeiser all questions necessary to determine whether or not he was entitled to enrollment as a member of the Choctaw Nation pro-vided his answers to such questions were true; also that the commission is vested by law with certain judicial powers in enrollment matters and that it.should consider such case far enough to determine whether or not it had jurisdiction. The office was unable to ascertain any just cause which Mr. Yeiser had for complaint of the action of the commission and recommended that the commission be "directed to continue to treat like cases in the same manner." By Department letter of July 12,1900, to the commission, the recommendation of this office was approved. August 6,1900, referring to Department letter of July 12, the acting chairman of the commission asked instructions relative to the matter of making a record of applications for citizenship in any of the Eve Civilized Tribes and referred to a clause in the Indian appropriation act as follows: That said eommiaaion shall continue to exercise all authority heretofore conferred on it by law. But it shall not receive, consider, or make any record of any applim |