Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-27

one TrtbeS-Tme feu0s Amongst the
SOciefy-Freaks Of Cupid I'm the In
dian C0untry-1he Indian Party Of
Progress--An Indian &c Rtn&''-Why
the Full.blOOllR are Hostile 20 Rail.
rOads-Talks with the Indians.
Editorial Correspondence Of The Stdr.l
DENIsoN, TEXAS, May 10, 1873.
The st. Louis What-is-it Convention of Con-
gressmen and others that met to discuss, no
tody exactly knows what, and continues its
labors by an exploration that is to end nobody
(up to the present writing) exactly knows
where. has swung round the half circle to this
point. The +" Congressional Convention" in
voked in the Interests of cheap transportation,
and OF water transportation rs opposed to that
by rail, fOuno itself embarrassed by
propositions 50 conflicting, and Of so
wide range that it became evident
that nothing short Of some great log rolling
scheme embracing all the different interests,
and footing up an appalling aggregate depletion
of the Federal treasury, will bring out any
practical results from all the talk at St. Louis
A ship canal around Niagara Falls, the deepen
ing o. the mouth Of the Mississippi, the con-
struction Of canals through Georgia and vir
ginia across the mountain range dividing the
Mississippi valley from the Atlantic, sere
among the incongruous projects urged. OF
the Mississippi, is likely to stand any chance OF
endorsement b. strict construction Legislators
opposed to tbs enlargement Of the powers Of
the general government; and il il doubtful IL
any permanent Improvement of the Mississippi
navigation can be made justifying any large
governmental expenditure. The practical re-
suits OF the meeting at st. Louis were In en-
abling the Missouri folks to show the wonderful
extent of their mineral and other resources, and
to set forth the ground for their faith in the
theory that 'nothing can prevent the Misss-
sippi valley from becoming the center ofhttmsn
power"
THE RAILROAD TRIP.
1t was rather a curious feature of the whole
business that the cheap transportation conven
ton, per canal, should have been gobbled up
by the railroads at the close of its st. Louis sit
tings, and carried off in triumph in a train of
Pullman sleepers, amply provided with creature
comforts, to see what the railroad men are doing
in the Southwest. The party left st. Louis FRI
day morning by the Atlantic and Pacific rail-
road on trip that, as originally blocked out,
proposed a visit to Galveston through the In
dian territory and return to st. Louis through
Kansas and Sedaiia, Missouri. The newly
finished lines through the Indian territory and
northern Texas afford complete rail connec-
tons between st. Louis and Galveston by a
much shortened route. From ST. Louis to vi
nita, in the Indian territory, we followed the
Atlantic and Pacific railroad, whicl has been
completed to that point, a distance of 365 miles
from ST. Louis in its course towards San Fran
cisco. This road proposes to reach San Fran
cisco in 2,3eS miles from st. Louis. following the
general line Of the 35th parallel; while Tom
Scott's Southern Pacific railroad runs some
three degrees further south; both lines coming
together, however, at Albuquerque and diverg-
Ing again beyond that point.
PASSING THROUGH THE INDIAN COUNTRY.
hn ;ntar sv. Stxa
been in the passage through the Indian coun-
try. Captain Jack and the Alodoc business has
brought up the question, "what to do with
them?'' to everybody in the country. The
anomaly was presented by our days ride through
the Indian territory of railroads running through
one Of the richest tracts in the country, and no
where sign OF the usual development and i'm
provement that follows the introduction Of rail
road facilities With the exception Of an occa-
sional howell, with an accompanying patch of
silent and unoccupied as the alkali plains of the
Great American Desert. The reason is that
there are less than 81, 900 Indians scattered over
than all New England. Two-thirds of this vast
territory is arabic ground, and o. the portion
passed through by the railroad, scarce an acre
Is poor land; but the Indians do not like farm
ing, and they do not like railroads.
TALKS WITH THE INDIANS.
We took dinner at Vinita, the junction OF the
Atlantic and Pacific road and the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas road, and while there the
members Of Congress and others held number
of talks with the Indians gathered at the sta.
ton. There are some twenty tribes gathered
in the Indian country, and their proportionate
numbers are about as follows:-Cherokees,
15,eOO; ChOctaws, 1900; Creeks, 1900; Semi
noles, $500; Chickasaws, 5000; and SO on,
dwindling down to some petty remnants Of
tribes numbering few hundreds each. The
Senecas, tor instance, are reduced to one hun
dred and fifty in number. There are also in the
Indian territory about II 900 negroes and 5000
whites. -
The Cherokees and Choctaws are, therefore,
the most powerful OF these tribes; and vinitia,
the POINT where we were stopping, is in the
Cherokee allotment of land. A bitter feud ex-
lists in this tribe between the Ross party, headed
by William Penn Ross, the chief Of the CherO-
KEGS, and the BoudinOt party, headed by Col.
whose father was assassin sed by the Koss party
in consequence OF the part taken by him in adj
vocacy Of the removal Of the CherOkees from
Georgia to the present reservation. The Boudi-
port ion Of the tribe, favor the abandonment Of
tribal relations, the citizenizirg of the Indians
ANA sns Eyscr n Of 5nsr an them
proposes to give every Indian-man, woman,
and child--tG0 acres Of land, inalienable for a
tcIm Oh years, 30 tnat III may not De sold for
song by the owner; and the remainder of the
land Is to be sold by Government to be held in
trust as perpetual fund for the Indians. The
plan proposes territorial form of government
~ far as consistent with the treaties with the
Cherokees and Choctaws; the establishment of
Z. 3. courts; the right to representation In
Congress by delegate. &C. -
The party OF progress headed by Boudinot
are opposed not only by the Ross party, but BY
two other cliQues, headed by William Penn
Adair, (wiltam Penn IL favorite name, nat
urally, amongst the Indians,) and Clement n.
vann, who though contending against one
another IN the main. unite In opposing the
Boudinot party and in keeping up q sort OF In
dian ring for the controlof Cherokee affairs and
the Cherokee funds: William Penn Ross, the
present chiefof the Cherokeee, is nephew Of the
famous John Ross. He 10 . graduate Of Prince
ton College, and u O man Of hne SCHOLARLY al.
tainments, and polished and eloquent speaker,
but lscp moral courage and physicaf force.
koee has very little Indian blood. Adair is q
man Of less culture, but moro vigor. He lie q
half-hlood. Vann has very little Indian blood.
THE 4oAANcR OF LOVE.
We haze had numerous instances, from the
time Of John Role down 10 Sam Hodseon,
where white men have married Indian women.
Some Of the brightest and most attractive mem