Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-05-31
AlLAND RAID.
The Combination Ia Congress to GObbIe the
Indiaa Territory.
A Gross and fragrant Iaiustlce, a Crying
Wrong and a Barefacsd At
tempt at Robbery.

white settlers that great body of In
dian lands now occupied by the Chero-
kee, Creek, and ChOctaw nations,
and familiarity known as the Indian
Territory. These Indians hold the
territory in question under the sol
emn guarantee of the United States
that they and their descendants
shall have possession OF it forever, ="
and that "no State or Territorial line
shall ever be extended around or
over it.U In the face of these sacred
pledges, and of the further fact that
thew ceded their lands in Georgia and
Tennessee to the United States in eX-
change for this reservation, two Ter
ritoriaI bills have been Introduced
into the House of Representatives at
the present session, and also a third
bill Hooking to the Investment OF
the Indians of their landed titles"
Finding some difficulty in carrying
their scheme through the House, the
promoters of this shameful act OF
spoliation changed the theater OF &C
ton to the Senate. In due time a bill
was introduced into the latter body
by Senator Rice, of Arkansas, was
duly referred to the Committee on
Territories, and was reported back
by Senator Mcdonald, of Arkansas,
and its passage recommended. Now
the Indian Territory, be it understood,
is bounded on the east by Arkansas
and Missouri, on the north by Kan
aas. and on the south and west by
Texas. 1t is easy, therefore, to under
stand the considerations which nave
moved both the Arkansas Senators TO
enter heartily into the speculative
schemes afOot, and also to surmlse
with tolerabIe clearness who are their
chief hackers.
The bill of Mr.. Rice proposes to or
ganiZe in the Indian country a terri
tOrial form of government; to ignore
utterly the independent form Of gov
eminent now established there by the
Indians themselves-tO establish
courts of judicature, to appointa Gov
ernor and secretary, judges, Marshals,
etc.-in short all the machinery COM
mon to territories within the limits Of
the United States. The new Terrific
~ Is to be called Oklahoma. The Dill
provides for a territorial Legislature,
smoothly called "a Council" pre-,
scribes the basis of apportionmenl
and the qualification of voters. Al
the same time it opens wide a gate
Way through which squatters may
rush into the territory, and by force
of numbers crush out all opposition,
This is done by paraphrasing the Ian
guage of the Fifteenth Amendment
which declares that "no person shall
be deprived of the right to vote, OF
hold office, in said Territory, on &C
count of race or color, or previou;
condition of servitude."
The sixteenth, seventeenth and
Eighteenth sections of the bill tend
still further to strip the Indians o.
their lands, and place them at the
mercy of Spectators and SqUatters
By the sixteenth section Congress il
authorized to make grants Of land il
fee to railroad companies, and the Ter.
ritOrial legislature to be established is
expressly prohibited from interfering
in any manner with such grants
1.-THE second proviSo of the same sec
ton authorizes the Government to sell
the alternate sections reserved for the
benefit of the Indians at 81 90 PEI
acre, which is to be placed to theil
credit on the books of the treasury
This looks liberal; but mark what fol.
lows: By the eighteenth section the
Indians are required, within six
months after the survey of the occu.
pied portions of the lands of such
tribe or nation, to make selections
under the provisions of this act"
The protest of the Indian delegates
representing the Cherokee, Creek and
ChoctaW natiOns-which was laid be.
fore the Committee on Indian Affair;
on Monday last, and ordered to be-
printed, and from which we have
made the foregoing extracts-very
Justly declares ssthat it'-the eigh.
teenth seetion-"provides for annuIl
ing all Indian titles to lands; that i
virtually declares them To be public
lands belonging to the United States
that we are not privileged to claim
any more right in them than othel
settlers who may come upon them
that we have only the simple right by
pre-Occupancy, OF homestead or pre-
emption, of one hundred and sixty
acres each; that it abOlishes our sew
eral local governments, and leaves u
without the right to insist on the oh
servanee of our treaties, on wen Il
plead that we have bought and paiC
for our possessions" Sadly and hall
despairingly they say, "When W.
! contemplate these things, we comics
to you, Senators, that our heart
grow sick, and we are led to eXclaim
Has justice fed from the earth?"
Others besides these Indians hav
asked the same question, not once
but many times during these latte
years, and the only answer has beel
fresh acts of aggression and bolde
measures OF oppression.
The lands in the Indian territOr,
constitute the very finest body Q
lands west of the Mississippi. The.
are not only very rich, but they ar
also well cultivated. The best G
| them are estimated to be worth, a
the present time, not less than TWEEN
ty-five dollars an acre. Multitudes Q
squatters are lowering about them Of
all sides, ready to rush in as soon a
Congress opens the door. RailWa,
| companies, Spectators, and land pi
rates, have fastened their greedy eye
upon them, and there is but littl
doubt that covetousness will We
break the pIighted faith of the Gov
eminent and weigh down the scale
OF justice. Mr.. Fitch, the fitting rep
resentative of the petty State of Neva
da, openly avOws himself in favor c
discriminating the Indians and seiz
ing their lands, adding, with bruta
emphasis, that ''the only good Indian
| are dead Indians,'' whilst Senate
Mcdonald seeks to justify the preda
tory character of the bill, by saying
that ste clothe these Indians witt
rights of citizenship"-this being tn
most adroit way of plundering then
| of their posseSsiOns-His a part of tn
memorable logic of the times"
No one says that it is "sayages'
that are thus to be dealt with. n,
one asserts that they are u~nfriendly
They have written laws, a well or
ganized government, simpler in form
than our State Governments, bu
adapted to their requirements. The,
have a Judiciary, a Supreme ant
Circuit Court. They live mostly il
villages, have comfortable dwellings
and are skiIlful and diligent in agri
culture and in some of the mechani
arts. ssThe schoolhouse is seer every
where among them. They have fort.
ree schools in successful operation
numerous churches; a Bible print
ed IN their own language, anC
a newspaper press Finally
'The white man, with his whisk,
barrel, ls rigldly excluded" An
upon this interesting people. NOV
steadily increasing in numbers an,
civilization, it is proposed TO let loos
all the laWless elements that are to b
found ameng the white men Of tn
frontier. Whatever the Indians pO'
sess is to be theirs 70 longer. The
houses, their lands, their crops, thei
stockton they have large herds {
cattle-are all TO be put at the mere