These Indian tribes own their own land. collect their lease money. collect their royalties from the mines. and have large funds put to their credit in tie Treasury of the United States. Now. the condition that this amendment was enacted to reach was this. Each of these tribal governments grew out of ancient conditions. having tax laws against the noncitizen. differing in rates in the different tribes. In one of them they charge a noncitizen laborer 86 a year for the privilege of breathing the air of that country. The thousands of miners engaged in mining coal in that Territory. the royalties of which are paid to the Indians. must also pay 50 cents a month for the privilege of laboring. His children and the children of other noncitizens get no benefit from the tax. Merchants in the towns in that country are taxed by these bills from onehalf of 1 per cent to 1 per cent on the invoice of all the goods they offer fbr sale in their stores. so that. if the merchant in retailing turns over his capital stock four times a year. in one instance it would be 6 per cent of the value of his goods. All the professions are taxed by these bills. In the Territory a tax of onehalf per cent on the capital stock of banks is imposed. and every species of industry. from the gingersnap stand to the banker. is attempted to be taxed by these tribal laws. Under the Curtis Act the noncitizen was given a status in the Indian Territory. and his rights and standing in the town property have been determined by the courts. The courts have given them a right to levy a tax on themselves. not to exceed 2 per cent per annum. for the support of the city government and schools. Time and time over these noncitizens have knocked at the doors of Congress and asked us to make appropriations directly out of the Treasury for the education of the noncitizens in that country. Congress has persistently refused to do this. Now. referring again to the Curtis Act. which provided that these laws should not be enforced either in law or equity in the courts of the Indian Territory.
Keywords matched
noncitizens noncitizen