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Show REPORT OF THE COMMlSSIOh%R OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. LIX Choctaw Nation.-The statns of the colored people in the Choctaw Nation was set forth in my annual report of last year in conjunction with the Chickasaws. Since that time, a Limemarial to the United States Government in regard to adopting freedmen to he citizens of the ChoctamNation," adopted by the Choctaw connail and approved by the governor November 2, 1880, has been submitted. wherein they declare their willingness to accept their freedmen as citizens, in accordance with the terms of the third article of the tlaeaty of 1806, and request the governme~t~ot take action thereon, determining whether or not the government will accept or reject said proposition. In this melnorial the Ohoctavs agree to give said freedmen educational facilities in neighborhood schools equal with said Choctaws, and request the gov ernment to declare such freedmen as may not elect to become citi'zens of the nation to be on the same footing with other citizens of the United States resident therein. Senator I~lgalls,o n the 23d of February, 1882, introduced a bill (S. 1200) in the Senate, entitled a bill lit0 enable the Choctaw freedmen to become citizens of the Choctaw Nation," being a ratification and an acceptance of said memorial and proposition, which mas read t,wice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. The freedmen of these three nations have been a long time deprived of the rights to which they are justly entitled, and have been trying to be heard during all these years, but have heen put off under one pretext or another until they should not be required to wait longer on account of a failure on the part of t l p e nations to take more de6nite action in establishing their 6tat.u~. I cannot, therefore, too strongly urge upon Congress the adoption of wch legislation as mill aford the freedmen prompt relief and forever settle the difficnlties aud emb:&rmssments involved in this question. Creek Nation.-The second article of the Creek treaty of June 14, 1866 (14 Stats., p. 756), stipulated that inasmuch as there were among the Creeks many persons of African desceut who had no interest in the soil, thereafter these persons lawfnlly residing in said Creek country under their laws and images, or who had been residing and should return within one year from the ratification of the treaty, and their descend-ants, and such others of the same race as mere permitted by the lawa of the nation to settle within the limits of the jurisdiction of the Creek Nation as citizens thereof, should hare and enjoy all the rights and privileges of native citizens, includil~ga n equal interest in the soil and national fonds, and the laws shonld be equally binding upon and give equal protection to all such persons, and all others, of whatsoever race or color, who might be adopted citizens or members of the tribe. These Indians have respected their treaty stip~~lationsrclat,itnog t heir freedmen, and hal-e granted them every right of other citizens, as de-clared in the second section of Article 1, Chapter VII, entitled citizen- |
