Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 30.djvu/606

FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 542. 1898. 567 mgxu 3: Nwé; A)•;_t;I‘1ol;:t;fy the greement betw the D w Co mi ion nd J ly 1, 1898 . 2.--a een a es m 'ss' a u . Whereas an agreement was made by Henry L. Dawes, Tams Bixby, M-=r¤¤¤·¤¤@—wi¤h Frank C. Armstrong, Archibald S. McKennou, Thomas B. Needles, iiihiiiif N°°’°" °f the Commission of the United States to the Five Civilized Tribes, and Allison L. Aylesworth, secretary, John F. Brown, Okchan Harjo, William Cully, K. N. Kinkehee, Thomas West, Thomas Factor, Seminole Commission, A. J. Brown, secretary, on the part of the Seminole Nation of Indians ou December sixteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, as follows: AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES c0M;MISs10NEES T0 NEGOTIATE WITH THE FIVE CIVILIZED TBIBES, AND THE com- ·MIBSIONE`BS ON TEE PART OF THE SEMINOLE NATION. This agreement by and between the Government of the United States commissioners. of the iirst part, entered into in its behalf by the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, Henry L. Dawes, Tams Bixby, Frank C. Armstrong, Archibald S. McKennon, and Thomas B.Needles, dulyappointed and authorized thereunto, and the Government of the Seminole Nation in Indian Territory, of the second part, entered into on behalf of said Government by its Commission, duly appointed and authorized thereunto, viz, J ohn F. Brown, Okchan Haijo, William Cully, K. N. Kinkehee, Thomas West, and Thomas Factor; Witnesseth, That in consideration of the mutual undertakings herein contained, it is agreed as follows: All lands belonging to the Seminole tribe of Indians shall be divided Arrnhh into three classes, designated as iirst, second, and third class; the first class to be appraised at flvedollars, the second class at two·dollars and fifty cents, and the third class at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and the same shall bedivided among the members of the tribe so A11¤¤¤•>¤t· that each shall have an equal share thereof in value, so far as may be, the location and fertility of the soil considered; giving to each the right to select his allotment so as to include any improvements thereon, owned by him at the time; and each allottee shall have the sole right of occupancy of the land so allotted to him, during the existence of the present tribal government, and until the members of said tribe shall have become citizens of the United States. Such allotments shall be made under the direction and supervision of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes in connection with a representative appointed by the tribal government; and the chairman of said Commission shall execute and deliver to each allottee a certificate describing therein the land allotted to him. All contracts for sale, disposition, or encumbrance of any part of any wEP¤;_<;*;:¤:>;:{·;·• l>¤¤¤' allotment made prior to date of patent shall be void. ` Any allottee may lease his allotment for any period not exceeding six L¤¤¤¤¤- years, the contract therefor to be executed in triplicate upon printed blanks provided by the tribal government, and before the same shall become eifective it shall be approved by the principal chief and a copy filed in the omce of the clerk of the United States court at Wewoka. No lease of any coal, mineral, coal oil, or natural gas within said tg¤¤¤¤ ·>f ¤¤i¤¤r•1¤. Nation shall be valid unless made with the tribal government, by and ° ' with the consent of the allottee and approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Should there be discovered on any allotment any coal, mineral, coal u£i;j;;gg“g:0;¤_g,:l; oil, or natural gas, and the same should be operated so as to produce mommo. royalty, one—half of such royalty shall be paid to such allottee and the remaining half into the tribal treasury until extinguishment of tribal government, and the latter shall be used for the purpose of equalizing the value of allotments; and if the same be insufficient therefor, any other funds belonging to the tribe, upon extinguishment of tribal government, may be used for such purpose, so that each allotment may be made equal in value as aforesaid.