Show r MEMBERS fROM F THE GREAT WEST WESTI I Senate Senate Committee to Investigate gate Indian Territory Af At Affairs Affairs r fairs a Strong One RIGID INQUIRY IS PLANNED PLAN JED SOME SENSATIONAL DISCOS DISCLOSURES DISC OS URES EXPECTED Special to The Herald Denver Aug 12 The investigation o othe of the affairs of the five civilized tribes tribe which is to commence on Nov No 12 by the select committee of the Indian commit committee tee of the United States senate may have havea a direct bearing upon the business of certain certain tain tam corporations whoso whose property is lo Io located in Colorado Wyoming and other othe western states and which have hereto heretofore heretofore heretofore fore had practically a complete completo monopoly of the coal market in Oklahoma and In Indian Indian Indian dian territories There will be a hot time lime In Indian territory when the five Investigators who wh compose the membership of this special specia senatorial committee commences opera operations Uon The work of the committee will wll willbe willbe be thorough and its recommendations to congress for remedial congressional leg will wilt be practical pra and not theoretical theoretical theoretical ical Nearly All Western Men MenThe MenThe i r The rhe investigation Is to be made largely J by b Ty western men of Integrity I familiar with western affairs conditions In new countries and long public experience ence The committee is composed o of Senator C D Clark of Wyoming chair chairman chairman chairman man Chester I Long of Kansas Frank B 13 Brandegee of Connecticut Henry M Teller of Colorado and W V A Clark of Montana The committee has just con concluded concluded eluded an executive meeting held in this city and at which a tentative understand understanding ing was reached as to the th scope of the Ule investigation and the matters and things to be Investigated The Importance of the Investigation this committee Is instructed to conduct cannot be bc gainsaid It Is national in inmany inmany many of its aspects The members 01 of the five fhe civilized tribes are arc wards s of the nation and the government of f the United States is morally morall bound to see that they the are arc rendered secure In their rights to protect them from imposition on the part of the agents and officers of the nation who havo have been handling their af affairs affairs affairs fairs for the past ten years ears It is of ot first and primary Importance to the peo pec people people 4 pie of Indian territory who are today existing under the most obnoxious form of federal domination known to any cit citizens citizens citIzens or subjects of the American nation This condition has been and ani brought about by h recommendations of offe federal fe eral officials to congress which recommendations have han been enacted into law Needs Probing It is evident eident from information furnished the tile committee that there is no branch of the government that needs probing as asit bad as does the affairs of the five civil civilized civilized civilized triMs and tho the men selected for this work and appointed as members of the tue committee insure a u rigid thorough in investigation investigation investigation Of the membership of the committee four are lawyers and at least three of them are well versed in Indian affairs Senator Clark the chairman of the committee is chairman of ot the judi judiciary judiciary ciary clary committee of tim the senate selected for that position p because of pf his eminent legal attainment He has a thorough knowledge of Indian matters he is a practical man familiar with conditions ih lii new gained ruined by b his hl early res residence in the west and learned in the school of actual experience years rs of public service during which no human being has bas had the temerity to as assert sert g rt that ho he has even been Indiscreet or orto to even cn Intimate that he has been guilty of ot a dishonorable act Fitting It is js that such a man should have hae been selected for forthe forthe forthe the chairmanship of this committee which Is js charged d with the duty of oC not only in investigating affairs in Indian territory but hut recommending to congress the enact enactment enactment ment of legislation for the protection of the members of the Indian tribes wards of C the government gO ent Senator Long the th second ranking mem ber her of the committee has an intimate A knowledge of affairs in the tho th territory by reason of his on the th senate In dian committee and the close ical proximity of or these thee people to his hig home state stat The Eastern Members Senator Frank Brandegee the third ranking member of the committee Is comparatively Inexperienced in Indian af nf fairs and was selected with the one ob oh in view of ot giving to the esthetic e east easta a representative who might go to the territory and nd there learn from the peo people pIe themselves and with his own eyes ees the true conditions existing so that he might be able to explain to his eastern senatorial friends next winter the utter impracticability of the various schemes proposed by tilt the Indian Rights flights RI association asSociation tion of Boston and Philadelphia and kin kindred kindred I dred or organizations organizations organizations I of the east which they have upon congress with more mor persistency cy than sound Judgment ju for tor the protection protection protection tion of or the red man In Indian territory against the greed and rapacity of ot the white vultures who have settled In tn the Indian territory for the one purpose of graft greed and robbery Senator Bran Brandegee Brandegee is a practical man but one who has taken considerable stock In the past pastIn In the representations made to him by the eastern philanthropists who have con conceived conceived conceived it to be their divine duty to look after the affairs of the red man and pro protect protect protect him from his bis own Infirmities When he gOes down Into Indian territory and learns for himself the condition existing there It Is expected expect d that he will return with broader and more liberal Ideas Idena rel relative relative relative to the affairs of ot these thesa people Senator Henry Henn M I Teller Is undoubtedly the best posted man on Indian affairs In the United States if not in the world For twenty years he has hns served as a member I of the senate committee on Indian af at I fairs for fot three years vears ear he was secretary of the interior He is a brilliant lawyer quick of perception and honest to a n fault If there Is Js anything rotten in connection with the affairs of or the five civilized tribes the guilty ones may expect no aid or comfort from him If on the th other hand there Is no truth In the charges made against certain officials and they can I demonstrate that fact clearly they will have no greater reater friend or supporter in inor inor or out of congress than the veteran statesman of Colorado Senator Tellers Teller services were particularly desired by b the committee and his acceptance of the ap was In line with the many per personal personal personal sacrifices he has made mado in the past in tile the interests interest of the people of the west and the national government Clark of Montana Tho The selection of Senator W A Clark of ot Montana and his consent to serve on the committee was not only a wise tion but one that will be of great groat t ad advantage advantage advantage vantage to both the committee and the people whose Interests are arc affected and his consent to serve upon the committee considering the magnitude of ot his diver diversified diversified sifi d interests Illustrates the unselfish and public spirit of the man man It was Senator Clark who first directed attention of ot the senate committee on Indian affairs last sear jear ear to the great groat value of or the coal coat deposits d in the Choctaw tw Nation which congress was preparing to sell under a aplan aplan aplan plan which could not possibly have net ted the Indians of the ac value of the coal lands It Is id esti estimated estimated mated that the plan submitted to the committee which it was about to adopt i would have netted nett d the Indians ls approximately approximately matel When the Montana sen senator senator senator ator announced to o his colleagues during one of the sessions of ot the committee that he would be very glad to purchase the en on tire Ure coal fields In the Choctaw Nation for lor and that under the plan the h he Committee was wan then seriously considering the lands would not net the Choctaw and Indians more mere the various members commenced to sit up and take notice The rhe Interior depart department ment meat was called upon for all the tion it had in Its Us possession and distributed l ed throughout the die Indian bureau the geological g survey and tho the general land office onice When this data was received It disclosed a condition of affairs known to possibly only one member of the com committee committee committee Government publications showed that hat certain railroad companies amor them being the Rock Island Railroad company and its branch and lines the Santa Fe Railroad company and Its Is branch roads toads either held leases leass In the I name lame of the railroad companies or in fn the he names of their stockholders and of covering practically all of the then hen known valuable coal deposits These leasEs eases had yet to run for periods rang K from twenty tW nt to years No Noether Noether ether company compan or individual could pur purchase chase hase the property covered bv by b these thosa oases and acquire title thereto until the expiration of the lease Thus the th only persons pErs ns or companies likely to submit bids for the purchase of these coal lands were the railroad companies s and their of Rate Bill Legislation These who are familiar with the debates debat s in n congress last winter on the railroad rate rat bill well remember the sensation produced In the senate senat when Senator La folette olette of Wisconsin revealed nese ilese facts to the senate and further pointed out that practically rr all aU of or the tIle then known val viii coal Oni deposits in the United States were either owned or controlled by the great railroad companies As a result of these hese disclosures an amendment was in eluded In the railroad rate bill providing that hat all railroad companies doing an Inter state business should by sale or other wise vise dispose of their coal land holdings and go out of the coal producing busi busl I ness and thereafter confine contine their opera ions exclusively to the business ot of a com common common mon carrier by January Januar 1 1909 These dl resulted in the investigation of f the operations of the Pennsylvania rail rall road oad and the Reading railroad in their t control of the anthracite coal fields in eastern astern e Pennsylvania by the interstate commerce commission slon which in turn dp op eloped the startling condition of f affairs eXisting in eastern Pennsylvania and ano the Irdi tm nt of numerous num roUs officials of those roads oads Monopoly is Charged It was charged at that time and well established by b proof that the railroad I companies traversing Indian and Okla OkIa homa loma territories and having a complete monopoly m of the thc coal output of the mines thinea In the Choctaw Nation were by the im Imposition imposition position of exorbitant freight rates vir prohibiting the shipment of coil rosl irom from the coal fields of gf the Choctaw Na tion lion to points immediately contiguous to those coal fields in Indian Jn lan Territory and compelling the people of towns within P f tiding tadius of miles of those coal to receive their supply of coal from tram Colo Cob rado and other western coal fields owned owne and operated by the Colorado Fuel Iron company By fly B imposing prohibitive rates on the few tw independent ind pendent companies companie rat I ing in In the Indian Territory coal fields and by granting preference rates to th the products of th Colorado Fill FUl Iron com company pany the latter latt r company has had bad a com corn complete complete pleto monopoly of the tho markets mark ts in Indian Territory It appeared from competent evidence that the people residing In towns within a radius of miles of the coal fields in the Choctaw Nation were com corn compelled to pay pa from 7 to 8 S per ton for bi bl coal cal when the same coal c nl could have been bech purchased pur at the mines in the coal oal fields of the Choctaw Nation for tor not to exceed 3 per ton This is one of the questions the com corn committee committee will carefully consider ih lb tion non with its Investigation of oC the coal property located in Indian Territory ry and belonging to the Choctaw Ch wand and w tribes ribes of ot Indians Sale of Indian Lands Another er question of ot national Importance that the committee will consider Is the alienation of f lands hinds and nd the th conferring upon uron the individual of the right to sell soil or dispose of his lands either with or without supervision su by the tho secretary of the Interior and his subordinate officials officials dais Under existing laws no In m the th Indian Territory r can n sell or ot dispose of ofa ofa f fa a foot of his allotted lands without first applying to the secretary of the Interior for permission or by b listing the th lands he ho desires to sell with the Indian agent who in turn has the land appraised ad advertises the land for far sale s le all bids re received receiVed received to tb be sealed and opened on a given gf en day If the bids received do not meet with the approval of the Indian agent they are all rejected ted Thousands of per pel persons perSons sons sone of means and character have gone to the territory within withla the last year with the intention of purchasing property and ant locating but when they became aware of 0 the federal red tape t p enveloping the t e title to the tM Indian lands they moved on to other states and have hae Invested mil mit millions lions of ot dollars in Texas New Mexico 11 Arizona and other western states and territories l In Inferior lands rather than to be subjected to the vexatiOus delays d lays Incident f id Jit to the U acquisition t l of title to the rich virgin lands of the territory and the tho domination of autocratic federal officials Thus the people of Indian Territory have lost millions of ot dollars in the last year by reason of the operation of the federal laws and the rigid departmental rules and regulations governing the of valid land titles in the territory Under existing law no full blood can alienate his lands for years next following the date of the issuance of the patent to the by the federal government When the rolls rolla of citizenship of the five civilized tribes in Indian Ter Territory were being prepared every member of those tribes possessing poss a a goodly quan quantity quantity quantity of Indian blood asserted at the time tima of his hi or her examination by the commission commission com corn mission that he or she was a full blood whereas as a matter of ot fact the applicant was as a half breed As the application of the individual is accented accepted as proof of t his Indian n blood bloed Preb probably ably fifty per cent of the lands in tre tee Indian Territory are tied up absolutely and for a period of twenty one ono years yet to come as is but few pat patents patents eats have hav as yet been issued to any allot tees in any of the five civilized tribes Will Devise a Plan The committee will inquire Into this con with great care and endeavor to d dc vise a plan for enactment Into law will enable title to lands to be acquitted without the vexatious circumstances sur sul surrounding surrounding rounding the acquisitions of valid titles title existing at the present time and at th the same time safeguard and protect th thE |