| OCR Text |
Show ItEPORT OF THE OO?vIDbISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIFS. 149 quently the commission entered into another agreement with that tribe, which was confirmed by the Creek Nation, but was not ratified by Con-gress. In March, 1900, another agreement with the Creek Indians was effected and submitted to Congress (House bill 11821), but has not yet been ratified. During the month of February, 1899, the commission also entered into an agreement with the Cherokee Indians relative to the distribu-tion of the landed property of that nation to the citizens thereof, which agreement was confirmed by the nation and was submitted to Congress withprovision that it be ratified on or before March 4,1899. The council of the Cherokee Nation subsequently extended the time for it8 ratification to July 1,1899, but no action thereon was taken by Congress. In March, 1900, another agreement was entered into between the commission and the Cherokee Indians, which was sub-mitted to Congress (H. R. 11820) and is still pending. November 8,1899, the commission transmitted an agreement with the Seminole Indians relative to fixing a time after which no persona should be enrolled as Seminole citizens, and providing for the distri-bution of the estates of Seminole citizens who died subsequently to the 31st of December, 1899. Office report of December 7,1899, invited attention to the fact that the agreement provided that the lauds, money, and other property of a Seminole who died subsequently to the 31st of December, 1899, should descend to his heirs in accordance with the laws of the State of Arkan-sas relative to the descent and distribution of the estates of deceased persons, except that in cases where the property of the deceased would descend under those laws to the parents of the deceased it should "first go to the mother instead of the father, and then to the brothers and sisters and their heirs instead of the father." The ofice then sug-gested that the Department should be fully advised by the commission as to the reason for inserting such a clause in the agreement. The o5ce also invite attention to the fact that the agreement provided for the closing of the rolls on December 31, 1899, and as the agreement would probably not be confirmed by Congress at that time, it was sug-gested that a date should be fixed for the closing of the rolls subsequent to the date of the confirmation of the agreement by Congress. In reply to Department inquiry of December 9, 1899, the commis-sion reported, December 21, the reasons for inserting the provision as to the settlement of the estates of deceased Seminole citizens. They were considered satisfactory and were as follows: First. Children under the Indian laws follow the mother and are enrolled with her. Second. In newly all cases where white persons have married with Seminole Indians the father is a white man and the mother is a Seminole Indian by blood. If the property of the child wen to go to the father, it might under said laws go from him to his white children, if he should have any, a d thus he taken from the Indians to whom it belongs. It is insisted by the Seminoles that it would be unfair |
