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JULY 18, 2000

During their conference June 15 through June 17, the Washington state Republican party passed the following resolution on the final day.

Whereas Article IV, Section 4, of the US Constitution guarantees eveyr state a republican form of government, and this guarantee to each state is a warrantee to protect the citizens of that state; and

Whereas the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is currently aiding and abetting Indian tribes to regulate and collect taxes, injure property rights, withold due process and grant unequal protection under the laws to some citizens, for the benefit and advantage of other citizens; and

Whereas these same Indian tribes, with the support and advice of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, organize and operate tribal governments that are not republican in form, and in fact prohibit certain citizens from voting for the representatives who enact such measures and laws and injure the citizens being denied representation;

Therefore be it resolved that the executive and legislative branches of the federal government immediately take whatever steps necessary to terminate all such non-republican forms of government on Indian reservations, and compensate those citizens who have wrongly suffered loss due to denial of their constituionally guaranteed rights to be governed by a republican form of government.

Since then, the party has issued an apology, stating that it "truly regrets any anxiety or discomfort caused by this resolution and that we, as a party, recognize and reaffirm our continuing and ongoing support for Native American sovereignty as well as their ability and right to self-govern as determined by legal treaties signed with the United States of America."

Don Benton, party chairman, has attemped to clarify the resolution. In an editorial published in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, he says the resolution in no way calls for a termination to tribal governments.

Related Stories:
Party chairman defends resolution (The Talking Circle 7/18)
Author advocates termination (Tribal Law 7/17)
Support for tribes pours in (The Talking Circle 7/14)
EDITORIAL: GOP 'embarrasing' (The Talking Circle 7/14)
Gorton responds to resolution (The Talking Circle 7/12)
Californians take aim at GOP (The Talking Circle 7/10)
EDITORIAL: Tribal sovereignty (The Talking Circle 7/7)
EDITORIAL: Crow leaders important to state, Republicans smelly (The Talking Circle 7/7)
Slade stiffs seniors (The Talking Circle 7/7)
Candidate challenging Gorton (The Talking Circle 7/6)
Republicans resolve against tribes (The Talking Circle 7/5)
Miccosukee: The Republican Tribe (The Talking Circle 7/3)
Candidate pokes fun at Gorton (The Talking Circle 06/14)
Gorton opposes dam breaching (The Medicine Wheel 04/18)
Native Americans Challenge Gorton (The Talking Circle 04/03)

Relevant Links:
The Native American Caucus of the California Democratic Party - www.nacaucus.com
The California Democratic Party - www.ca-dem.org/dems/cadems.nsf/index
The Nebraska Democratic Party - www.nebraskademocrats.org
The Democratic National Committee - www.democrats.org/index.html
The Washington State Republican Party - www.wsrp.org
The Republican National Committee - www.rnc.org