OCR Text |
Show The Orcat Choctaw Law Suit. Wasetnoton, January 26. The Court of Claims yesterday decided the case of the Choctaw nation against 'the United States, and rendered judgment in favor of the nation na-tion for $386,605. This case was sent to the Court of Claims by the Act of Congress of March 3, 1881, providing for the ascertainment ascertain-ment of the amount due the Choctaw nation. na-tion. The claim resulted from the violation by the United States of . certain treaties entered en-tered into with the Choctaw nation in 1830, 1855 and 1866. The principal subject of contention con-tention resulted from the failure of the United Uni-ted States to secure to the Choctaws in severalty sev-eralty the lands which the United States guaranteed to them by the treaty of 1830. They did not receive these lands, but they were sold by the United States in violation of the terms of the treaty, and the amount received from the sale thereto paid into the Treasury more than fifty years ago. In 1859 the Senate of the United States, under authority of the treaty of 1855, awarded the Choctaws on account of these losses $298,000. This award was subsequently subse-quently recognized by Congress by an appropriation appro-priation in part payment in 1861 of $250,000. Since that time fourteen reports, recognizing the validity and conclusiveness of that award, have been made by committees of both houses of Congress. The Court of Claims now holds that the award of the Senate Sen-ate in favor of the Choctaws was set aside because the Choctaw nation availed itself of the provisions of the act of 1881, and brought its suit under the terms of that act in the Court of Claims. Judgment is based upon considerations independent of the award of the Senate. In announcing its decision the Court declared it to be the most important case it had ever been called upon to decide. It will now go to the Supreme Court on appeal ap-peal by both 'sides. |