, 1872-12-19
Shall The Indian Territory Be Mod
er1lZed ?---SbaN 1t Be tho
Indians !?
etter from Chief W. 2. Ross
---Talk with E.. c..
BOudinOt.
A Full Inquiry Into the Great
Reservation---Its Biography
and Resources.
From Our 0Dn Correspondent.

From Our 0zon Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Dec 9, 1872.
L question which will come before Congress
this winter, and probably before each succeed
ing Congress until it be settled, is that Of the
Indian Territory. At the present time, rail
way from Missouri and Kansas to Texas runs
enthusiastically entirely across this nondescript
snd vast district Several other railways halt at
the boundary Of the Indian country, unable to
so through. Along the Kansas line, the Texas
line, the Arkansas line and also In the south
western corner Of Missouri, large towns have
grown up right against the Indian region, and
embarked against it, 80 to speak
Finding little or no data in this city affecting
the country. 1 addressed letter, in the latter
part of November, to the new Chief OF the
Cherokee Nation, William P. Ross, Esq. The
following letter, received from this capable
Chief, will be interesting, as it is an autograph
letter, and sufficiently shows the culture,
prudence, and diplomacy OF the leading Chero-
l;ec. It is dated Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation,
Dec. !, ls72:
LETTER FRoI THE cH1EF OF THE oHERoEEEs.
GA1u: Your favor OF the Goth ult. reached me ut
TaheGc2l while very much occupied with duties just
devo!Eed upon ne Of public character. For this
cea5s am longer in acknowledging 1t than was in
:ordel great pleasure, and that shall be sure to
@ ssi Sse = Of 2 ysry carly opportunity to ly nose
ta;rs Il you desire. expecting to leave for
Washington, SO as to reach there by the 10th inst
vhen with sour permission, shall endeavor, in per-
q e fndian qassea s EhsSe sss rs Ho
sesaxss eo1nectea 3 NH VIII i 50 3as ,nd IS 1T It
;.ro;e,ted Government Tor the same. which admit
t:f no doubt Firs-The Indians ask no change In
their relations to the Government, but oppose it.
IN %koiAfT ft1yf
that o. railroads, squatters who perch around our
sorders, aud as1irans who hope for the creation Of
tie consent Of tbs 1ndians tat Vii not 7io1ate the
National faith, and pcccipiate condition Of affairs
Kaowina he ys1 ebsraeter - Of TEE o
cAGo TRmUsE and the wide celebrity which attaches
letc., ETC.. etc. e.c, shall esteem it most fortunate
Congress- they should receive their lind conEidera-
hcn have tbs honor to be, your obedient servant,
MIL. 2. Ross.
4 CHEROKEE D1ssESTHST.
About the time the above letter WAS received,
also fell in With En- eminent Cherokee, who has
been known il Washington City for many years
an advocate Of dividing the Indian lands and
owning them in se7eralty. This was Elias G.
Bouiinot, 3 man Of about 80 years Of age, who
has assumed to meet Governor Ross in debate,
both in Washington and through the columns OF
newspapers. With him 7 held an interesting
interview, which may Tighten up the question as
the minority Of tie ha1f-breed Indians con-
eider it.
EoCpEoT's POSITION.
f;Nr. Boudinot," said the correspondent, II
have been reading some of your speeches. You
wish the lands in tho Cherokee Nation
reyed, Gnd the Indians given fixed amount
pro rd:d, to which each Indian will be confined
as his property"
''Ies, sir; there is no law at all which the
people consider. as such, in the Indian country.
Wien man pitches upon piece Of land, and
improves it. he is not generally uolested,
oat he has no tito whatever to
.,e same, and it he exercises the
expression Of his Individual opinion
ii such wav rs to excite the prejudices Of his
people, Or to cross the ambitious purposes OF
tie head-nen, he can be murdered legally, es
;vould Lava been had remained q. my home.
You "e2e have studied lav, and lived at Fay
c.tevile, Little Rock, Washington, and other
places; and I wait home and business, like
other people have in other States. At Vinita,
have improved q large tract of land, and made
myself home. I declared for the opening up
OF the Indian country. without regard to any
railrosd-grents, but simply because our people
ought to be tired Of the present condition Of
hal-responsible authority. Of course, my
propositions we're denounced By the Chiefs, and
eli my friends told mo would be murdered, Like
my father, il stayed in the country"
TIE INDIANS From BALLOON VIEW.
';Niu you give me some information OF the
condition of the Indians in the Indian Territory,
and Of the country itself?"
Nr. Boudinot took out q memorandum book,
and answered as folows:
In this country, Mr. GATH there are 81
Indian reservations in all, and 191 organized
tribes and bands Of Indians: Al the Indian
acres, excluding the Indian Territory, where
there ere 50,000, 900 aeres- In the Indian Terri
tory liYe 53,7H Indiana; and outside OF it in
other parts, live III, 103 Indians. The total In
dian population under the American Govern
ment is said to bo 100000, but this includes
"a, 600 Aaekans. Now, within the Indian Ter
ritory, each person would have 500 acres Of land
if it were divided pro rata, and each Indian out
side would have SIS acres from the division OF
Jew persons get Ill the advantages under our
Tribal Government, while the great mass OF our
people are poor, possessed Of nothing; and, IN
eomo tribes, the question is really agitated OF
returning wholly tq ;a saEage lie: haze urged
be unta1ed, and to be inalienable for
ifehme,-say for twenty years. #
my voice could reach the Indians, / could agi-
tate this matter with effect; but We have only
one newspaper in the Cherokee Nation, edited
By my brother, William Penn Boudnot. He
prints the whole Of Mr. Ross speeches in tho
Cherokee language, but does not dare to print
mine, and be has written to me several times to
60 out Of the country, because it was not safe
for me there.'
TEE Civilized INDIANS HEAD.
"Mr. Bondinot, what is the condition OF edu-
cation in the Indian Territory"
ssWe1l, sir the statistics assume there are
$4,000 educated Indians and e, ,407 ignorant In
dians. Some Of our people are very we'll edu-
Gated indeed, and the improvements in many
cases compare well with those Of Texas, Kaneas
and Arkansas. Nc. white man can live amongst
,s, unless he Inns married an Indian woman, or
has been taken into q tribe. It is set down that
there are 1,675 white men resident in
the Indian country: We. have, besides,
l9.400 negroes. The whites amongst us
must, in the nature Ct thinga, be of
the rough and OUTLAW class. These are the men
who inspire the Indians Jealousy at any mention
of civilization. Tho negroes among Us are very
often mora influential than leading 1ndians.
This is because the negro understands the
White mans nature better than the Indian, and
il more flexible in his faculties But the color
ed people Of the United States may aa well un-