The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-03-20
The Proposed Now State Of ocIaho.

its of the United States. Taking into con-
sideratien its position, climate, soil, and
natural resources generally it Is perhaps I'M
equalled by any other section of the coun-
try. A few years ago this magnificent do
main was outlaying far upon the western
frontier, and it was hardly foreseen that the
busting thoroughfares of civilization would
so soon surround, approach and penetrate
it. Yet now Arkansas upon the east, Texas,
upon the south, Kansas upon the north,
and Missouri to the northeast, are no longer
border, but central States. are filled with
vast populations, traversed nv numerous
railways. and prosperous in all manner OF
industries; while in the meantime rich
commonwealth have grown up on the Pa
cific, and intermediate territories become
alive with the impulse CT progress. The
Indian nation alone, directly in the path
way of our advancing enterprise, remains
as il were forbidden ground, and has no
share in the national development all about
it. In a spirit of beneticence to certain
tribes, who were elsewhere dispossessed Of
their lands, this fail region was set apart by
the government for their exclusive use and
occupations; and out of this well-intentioned
but short-sighted craftsmanship has sprung
up an interior and isolated empire. differ
ing from every other part of the Union in
the tenure of its property and the nature
of its relations to Federal authority. 1t is
held, moreover-these fifty millions or more
over sixty thousand, which, is nevertheless
as aSen to the people of the States as the
Chin&e or Tartars, and jealous of tire least
enlightened e~ncroachment upon their reserv-
ed prerogativcs. Tenacious of their treaty
rights to the very letter, though relatively
well-to-do in the narrow round of their
standardization: unable to discern the
material advantages to be gained by
full and equal incorporation with the broth
erhood of States, as they are blind to the inn
periOus destiny that must sooner or later
overtake them: they now stand as barriers
to the enlightened energies of commerce.
that are pressing westward to occupy with
railways and manufactures, with pillow and
reaper, with church sn1 school house, with
every appliance of productive lsbor, the bslt
that stretches from the western line OfArkan-
sas to the ocean-b zach of Lower California.
Hence has arisen the new problem Of leg
~islation: What shall be done to remov
this impeachment and open the Indian cum
any acknowledgement oftreaty obligations?
The bill now pen3ing in Congress and cf1er-
ed by Mr.. Wells OF Missouri, for converting
the "NatioD," as it is popularity known. into
| a Territorial organization to be called Okla
| homa, seems to meet the difficulty more
nearly than any proposition that has vet
been suggested. This bill in all respects,
except SO far as it deals with the property
| rights of the Indians, resembles the organic
| acts of other Territories, ard scrupulous
| care has been saken that none of its prOvis-
ions shall divest the possessors of a single
dollar to which they are entitled by virtue
of existing compacts.
The following extract from the speech re-
Gently made by Mr.. Wells, in support of the
measure, gives the clearest possible idea of
its character, intentions, and calculable re-
suits:
sit provides for elections 10 be helS, in
| which the tribes shall first have the repre-
| sentation to which they may be numerically
| entitled; it recognizes their tribal distiac-
| tons and customs in the first election per-
mits the representatives so elected to pro.
| vide for other elections, and prevents
the forced increase of population in said
| Territory and representation in Its council
| through the removal of other and alien tribes
| hereto. 1t frankly and fully admits the
| right of property in the assembled tribes to
| all lands in the Territory, but as the nation
| al government is the natural guardian of tie
| tribes, it places that property in a position
that it may be Utilized for the benefit Of
each individual member thereof, while it
| stimulates self respect by providing for in
| ulNIuudl oWllSlShlps ~ htSt SSIuISS CdCu
| member Of the tribes, male or female, adult
or infant, one hundred and sixty acres of
land, giving to those who have made inn
provements the prior right to that section
| upon which such Improvements are situated;
and If such improvements cover more than
a quarter of a section, the right to purchase
the remainder at a nominal valuation. II
makes ample reservations for schools and
religious purposes, prevents for a term OF
years the alienation Of titles of land selec-
ted by Indians, and provides for the sale OF
S1.25 per acre, the proceeds to be scrupulous-
ly set aside for the sole benefit of the Indi-
ans, their education, the erection of build
iDgs, and the purchase of machinery, tools,
&C., needed for the development and cult
walton of their lands.
"The bill, therefore, so far from taking
from the tribes any portion of their prop
erty, simply proposes to make valuable so
much thereof as now lies waste, and while
adding to and extending the area of cultiva.
ted territory, to induce cultivation of the
lands which will then be retained by the In
dams, by furnishing material aid for its de-
velopment through education and proper
appliances for work; by opening the coun-
try and thereby affording facilities for trans
porting products TO markets; by exciting
emulation: by creating the respect incident
to either ship by infusing the incentive Of
the individual proprietorship of the soil and
ownership of the crops grown thereon.
"Further, this bill will make the Indians
now settled in the Indian Territory the
wealthiest people in this nation, by securing
them the Tigh.ful use of the valuable prop
erty now in their possession, but unused
and unavailable. l base this assertion upon
statistics presented by Col. K. c. Boudinot
of the Cherokee nation, in a speech
delivered at Vinita Cherokee nation)
last September. That gentleman states
the number of acres in the Indi-
an Territory at forty-eight millions s.
ard the inhabitants at sixty thousand-a
territory of upward of % 600 square miles,
5000 more than in the State of Missouri,
which is the largest in area, except Texas,
in the Union. 1t will be seen, therefore,
that after securing to each inhabitant the
I60 acres of selected land there would remain
to be sold IS, 400 900 acres. which would at
the minimum price established in this bill
amount to S4S 600, 000-S40 per individual,
or, estimating families to average four per-
sons each, S1G0 per family. Here, then, by
this bill each family is secured a homestead
of GAO acres, inalienable for ten years, the
value of ~which-the homesteads being Sc
lected before any lands are offered for sale,
and have. as they doubtless will, close prOx-
unity to valuable watering courses, or to
two of the most important railroads in the
country-can not be estimated at less than
five dollars per acre Tor 5000 eacb) and an
annuity Of Sl60. Compared with the
average family possessions of the most
prosperous of the L .stern States, this would
be wealth indeed"