OCR Text |
Show CHER0KEES WIN CASE. Court of Claims Decides in Eavor of tho Indiana. WASHINGTON, March 20. Tho casc3 of the Chcrokco Indians and of Individual Chorokecs ngalnst tho United States wore decided by tho Court of Claims today. They Involve a large amount of money nnd aro of an unusual and extraordinary . character. Tho United Stales bought the Cherok.ee outlet, agreeing to pay for It 53,300,000, being be-ing about $1 per aero, nnd also agreeing to reopen a long-standing controversy between be-tween themselves nnd the Chorokees. In 1S35 a treaty was made under which tho Chorokecs wcro to move or bo removed re-moved from Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee Ten-nessee to tho Indian Territory. Tho Chorokees contended before they wcro removed re-moved that under tho provisions of the treatv they wcro not to be made to pay tho cost of removing from homes which they did not wish to leave, to a country to which thev did not wish to go. The Government hold to tho contrary. When the Cherokee outlet was sold the Indians' attorneys contended thnt all of their occounts should be reopened nnd the matter equitably settled, and for thnt purpose the United States should mnko out an account and transmit It to the Cherokee nation. If tho Cherokee nation adopted it. Congress should Immediately appropriate for whatever balance might be found duo. The account wns adopted, but Congress did not appropriate tho money and for sonjo time did nothing. In tho present suit the Court of Claims decides that the account transmitted by tho Socretarv of the Interior, followed by this Inaction of Congress, renders tho United States liable for tho balance of $1.-111.251. $1.-111.251. with Interest from June 12, 1KJS, which amounts approximately to $1,000,000. |