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About Weekly Chemawa American. (Chemawa, Or.) 189?-198? | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1906)
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN 9 The Burke Bill ' a Law dn the 8th. of May the Burke bill was : .j proved hy the president and it is now i law. I The following is the full text of the bill : ' "He it enacted by the Senate and Hntise of Representatives of the United : Slates of America in Congress assembled. ; That section six of an Act approved Feb I ruary eighth, eighteen hundred and J ri'-hty -seven, entitled "An act to provide j i''rtlie allotment of lands in -severalty I ! Indians on the various reservations, and to extend the protection of the laws the United States and the Territorier vi'r the Indians, and for other purposes," In-amended to read as follows: "Sec. 6. That at the expiration of the trust period and when the lands - have In i n conveyed to the Indians by patents in fee, as provided in section five of this Act, then each and every allottee shall have the benefit of and be subject to the laws, both civil and criminal, of the State nr Territory in which they may reside; amino Territory shall pass or enforce any law denying any such Indian with in its jurisdiction the equal protection nf the law. And every Indian born within the territorial limits of the United Mates to whom allotments shall have been made and who has received a patent in fee simple under the provisions of this Act, or under any law or treaty, and every Indian born within the territorial limits of the United States and who lias voluntarily- taken up within said limits his residence, separate and apart from any tribe of Indians therein, and has adopted the habits of civilized life, is hereby declared to be a citizen of the United States, and is entitled to all the rights, privileges, and immunities of such citizens, whether Indian has been or not, by birth or otherwise, a member of any tribe of Indians within the terri torial limits of the United States with out in any manner impairing or otherwise affecting the right of any such Indian to tribal or other property: pro vided, that the secretary of the interior may, in his discretion, and he is hereby authorized, whenever he shall be satisfied that any Indian allottee is competent and capable of managing his or her affairs at any time to cause to be issued to such allotee a patent in fee simple, and there after all restrictions as to sale incum brance, or taxation of said land shall be removed and said land shall not be liable to the satisfaction of any debt contracted prior to the issuing of such patent: provided further, That until the issuance of fee simple patents all allottees to whom trust patents shall hereafter be issued shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States. And provided further, That the provision of this act shall not extend to any Indian in the Indian Territory." That hereaf ter whoa an allotment of land is made to any Indian, and any such Indian dies before the expiration of the trust period, said allotment shall be cancelled and the land shall revert to the United States, and the secretary of the Interior shall ascertain the legal heirs of such Indian, and shall cause to be issued to said heirs and in their names, a patent in fee simple for said land, or he may cause the land to be sold as provided by law and issue a pa tent therefor to the purchaser or purcha sers, and pay the net proceeds to the heirs, or their legal representatives, of such deceased Indian. That action of the secretary of the Interior in deter mining the legal heirs of any deceased Indian, as provided herein, shall in all respects be conclusive and final.