The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-22
AMONG THE INDIANS.
The Advance of Civilization
in the Territories.
The Iron Horse Making Way for Commerce
The Railroad Projects ON Foot and Towns and
Villages Cropping Up on All Sides-What
Should Be Done with Poor LOGON
gressmen Among the Indians
Railroad Extension Through
the Indian Territory
The Indian Question.

BoGoY DEPOT. Choctaw country, July 4, 1872.
The Congressional Subcommittee on Indian
Affairs has got thus far, the heart Of the ChOc
taw country, In the pursuit OF its Investigations.
Ny last letter was written on the cars near
FORT SCOTT KANSAS.
Although not unfamiliar with the extraordinary
rapidity Of the growth Of towns and cities in the
Western States and Territories was surprised to
find Fort Scott which, few years back, was but
military post and then an Insignificant settlement,
now presenting all the evidences OF q fiOurishing
and prosperous town, with numerous churches,
large public schools, three four newspapers zone
of them daily, several banking houses, half q
dozen hotels, large stores and handsome suburban
residences A fine Touring mill and elevator have
been recently erected here, as well as q
foundry and machine shop for one of
the railroads, and good deal Of capital
and industry has been directed to the building
up Of large trade in cement and paints, manu-
factured out OF rock eXcavated In the vicinity. OF
course much OF the prosperity, present and
prospective, Of Fort Scott is and will be due TO the
fact that it Ia an important station Of two great
lines OF railroad-the Missouri Kansas and Texas
and the Kansas Fort Scott and Gulf Railways
which are, to some extent, competing and parallel
lines and which give new direction to the cattle
trade Of Texas.
RAILROAD RACE.
These two railroad companies have had an ex-
citing race for the right OF way through the Indian
Territory, in which struggle the first named road,
although the latest in entering the field, came out
the winner. 1t seems that in one Of the Indian
treaties made In 1885, it was stipulated that there
should be right OF way through the Indian Ter
ritory for two lines Of railroad running north
nd no thar nat nd
that the company which should first reach
the Indian Territory, by way OF the
NeOsho Valley, should be entitled to the
privilege, North and South. The Gulf line, being
first In the field would have carried of the prize,
but for slight mistake In the calculations OF Its
projectors who construed the words 1.-THE Valley Of
the Neosh0" in their broad sense, such as is gener
ally applied to phrase "the Mississippi Valley" 'he
Ohio Valley" &c. The other company, however,
which Is oflcered by very energetic, practical men,
which is nnanciered by August Belmont and the
bonds and stock OF which are largely owned by the
Rothschilds, kept driving away at a rapid pace,
completing half q mile day for every working
day since the operations were commenced, and
sometimes three and four miles day, reached the
lower line very after its rival, and did 80 by
way Of the Neosho Valley, In the strictest, narrow
est sense OF the term; and, the claims Of
the two companies having to be decided by
the Secretary Of the Interior, the prize was
awarded, on that technical ground, to the
Missouri, Kansas and Texas Company which now
has Its road in operation for 1872 miles through the
Indian Territory and expects to have IL in opera
tlon for the remaining ninety miles 10 the Red
River, in Texas, by the 1st OF November next or
course so long as the Indian Territory is kept, as
now, practically closed to white settlers, the CON-
pany can expect no business from that 240 miles of
its line, and will have to rely for Its profits on the
trade with Texas, much OF which will be diverted
nom its present lines to the new line, which is
OF w a a no Va
OF transporting cattle RON Texas to the Eastern
THE THIRTY-rIFrH PARALLEL ROAD.
must not omit TO mention that the Eastern and
Western right of way through the Indian Territory
has been also occupied qy an important line OF rail-
the Thirty fifth Parallel line The present Western
terminus OF the load Is at q point In the Indian
Territory where 1t is crossed by the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas road, and which is now
designated by the name OF Vnita There are at
present two or three stores here and post ONCE
sled with great confidence, the correctness OF the
prophecy being dependent, however, on the ex
Territory to- settlement. Cherokee half-bred
named BondinOt, well known In Washington
where he has been for years pressing claim for
tobacco manufactured In the Cherokee country
where the Internal revenue laws were not sup
posed to be operative), owns thousand acres OF
the land wherein the future city OF vinita IL to
stand and Is to that extent prospectlvey rich, but
he seems to be not very popular with the members
OF his tribe, possibly on account OF his speculative
propensties, and does not reside among them.
THE INDIANS.
A few taciturn representatives OF the red man,
In gaudy -cOOred cotton jackets, with feathers
In their slouched hats revolvers In their
belts and with an expression s Of lisilsss
were all the Indications to be observed Of the exist.
ence of an Indian nation In this magnificent region
thus fst travelled IN he indian Territory, the ap
pearance OF an Indian has been tile greatest rarity
This Is accounted for by the fact that they avoid the
,lsvh Of fbo ina fnf
sefpreservaton, and that they never locate their
log cabins on the open prairie, but always in the
they are contemptuously designated by the wilder
tribes as "the timber Indians"
We have now crossed the countries assigned to
the Cherokees, the Creeks and the Choctaws, oil OF
which tribes have separate local governments, such
as they are and have distinct languages and nation
al pecularities and amenities.
The Cherokees, occupying the region nearest to
Kansas, are represented as the most worthless,
shftess and vindlctIve Of the lot; the Creeks as
slight Improvement on them, aud the Ch0ctaws
as the superior OF both.
THE CHEROKEE NEUTRAL LANDS.
We passed over q most MAGNIFICENT tract ofprairle
which curious but by no means strange, bit OF
speculative history Is attached, It seems that in
OF the Interior Department these lands, the most
valuable In the whole Southwest, were sold In bulk
800, 600 acres, without advertisement aud with
land speculators organized under the title or an
Emigration Society. so anxious was this intensely
religious, young Chfsuan secretary 10r the welfare
OF the society that the very last day OF his ocial
position was devoted to the good work OF secur-
ing this goody tract to his friends OF the Emigration
his action In the premises was overruled and set
aside by his successor In oiice, Mr.. Browning who,
Harlan by selling these bame lands to Mr.. Joy the
representative OF TIE Kansas and Gulf Railway
Company. " Course this action OF Browning was
just as repreheIsble that OF Harlan and subject
TO the sap,e criticism In law and In morals.
A friendly suit was Instituted to give Judicial
sanction 10 the fraud hut parties actually interested
In defeating 1t have interviewed Ia the suit and APP
pealed 10 the Supreme Court from the favorable
decision of the District Court. understand that
the matter presented at the last session OF the
Supreme Court and that rom political consldera-
tions the decision Is reserved until alter the next
Presidential election. IL IL assumed that the
result will be the confirmation OF the sale and the
transfer 10 land 0bbcrs and spectators OF 0ouy OF
land which would readily sell In quarter sections
az , and ro vvh cb ha Oo