GOVERNMENT. The 'Five Civilized Nations' (the Cherokees. Creeks, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Seminoles), who occupy almost the whole of the Territory, came thither under an agreement with the United States guaranteeing their tribal au thority. They organized for themselves forms of government much like those of the States, having a Governor, Senate, and Legislature, elect ed by popular vote; a national court, school sys tem, and treasury. Under this independent, self governing system the Five Nations have lived until recent years. The workings of the system were quite tolerable in the early period, but it is quite inadequate on account of the rapid changes in conditions now taking place. The white popu lation of the Territory, who outnumber the In dians six to one, found themselves without a voice in the government, unable to secure such privileges as look toward their proper pro tection and development. Accordingly. various enactments have been passed by Congress within the past few years, all having for their ulti mate purpose the extension of complete Federal jurisdiction over the Territory, the extinction of Indian governments, and the opening of the country to unrestricted white settlement—in other words, their assimilation, political and legal, with the rest of the United States. How ever, the original guarantee of an autonomous form of government to the tribes and other complicating conditions exist to delay the process of transformation. The resisting Indian is some times conciliated. sometimes disregarded. In 1893 a commission to the 'Five Civilized Na tions,' the Dawes Commission, was appointed to enter into negotiations with the Indians in the Territory for the allotment of their lands in severalty. or to procure a cession of their lands
to the United States. The Commission had in 1901 finally secured from each of the five tribes tentative agreements. looking toward allotment and citizenship; but years are likely to elapse before the work of the Commission is ended, as the task of dividing 20,000,000 acres of land equitably among many thousands of legitimate claimants is enormous. An act of 1897 gave the United States courts jurisdiction within the Territory. The Curtis Act of 1S98 had for its general purpose the transfers of the control of property rights from tribal authority to that of the United States. Accordingly it provided. among other things. for the enrollment of citi zens. preparatory to the allotment of lands, for the regulation of town sites. and the incorpora tion of towns: and it gave the President a veto power over acts of the tribal governments. Differences of conditions have prevented a uni form application and enforcement of this policy. Some features are universally carried out. while others are temporarily suspended for certain tribes. An agreement with the Seminoles per mits the continuance of the Seminole government in a limited way. and an agreement with the Choctaws and Chickasaws extended their govern ments, with certain modifications, until March 4, 190G. Consult: Hinton, "The Indian Territory, Its Status, Development, and Future," in Review of Reviews, vol. xxiii. (New York, 1901).