OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XLI homa Colony organizat.ion parties who were, locating claims for them. A subsequent official report of Colonel Hatch, dated the 22d August last, conveys the information that .nearly all the intruders on the Cherokee Outlet lands were out of the Territory, and that probably by the 15th September, tbe removal of all unauthorized settlers and of the fences erected by cattle men in Oklahoma proper, as directed by the Secretary of War, ~vould be completed. Reco~umendiug a proper dis position of troops for the protection of the Territory from further inva-sion, Colonel Hatch ren~arks: At many points on the Kansas border are ozmped parties who say tthey will move into the Territory as soon as the troops are ruoved from it. . P a p s and the men with him who are engaged in locating claims will oontinoa to agitate the opening of thin Territoryin the same manneras before: not that they really deaire to have the conntry settled, but that they may "Main money from the ignorant people deluder1 into the purahase of claims and tovo lots, and from the fees paid on joining what t'hay term the "Oklahoma Colony." The pa~mmt sfo r surveys, clims, town lots, and initiation fees must in the aggre-gate have slready arnaunted to the neighborhood of $100,000, all of which has been divided among the leaders. Should the coontry he opened to settlers thore would be an end to their profits; henoe, in my opinion, Paynvne and his immediate associates do not want it declared open. There is no possible excuse for these repeated lawless itlvasions of the Indiau Ter r i tor~on the ground (as the inraders hold) tbat the unoccupied lands thereof are public lands of the United States, and as such opsu to settlement. They are not public lauds in any sense as yet, whatever disposition may be made of them hereafter. By the terms of the treaty of 1866 with the Cherokees the United States is empowered to settle friendly Indians in any part of the Cherokee country west of 960, in qaantityas therein provided, the boundaries of the districts thus settled to be distinctly marked and the land conveyed in feeaimple to each of such tribes so settled, to be held in common or in severalty, as the United States may decide, the lands thus disposed of to be paid for to the Uherokee Nation at such price as may be agreed up011 between the parties in interest, suhject to the approval of the Presi-dent; the Cherokee Nation to retain the right of possession and jurisdiction over all of said country west of 960 until thus sold and occupied, after which their jurisdiction and right of possession termi-nates as to each district thus sold and occupied. It ma,y here be remarked that, in the exercise of this right of possession and juris-diction, the Cherokees have, by an act of their national council (ap-proved by the principal chief), leased said unoccupied lands to the Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association, for grazing purposes, for a term of five years, at an annual rental payable to theuat,ion, subject, never-theless, to the treaty rights reserved to the United States to settle friendly Indians thereon at any time during the continuance of said lease. There is no general cession of these lands to the United States, no surrender by the Cherokees of possession or jurixdiction, until such time as a certain specified purchaser shall have complied with the terms |