The Portland daily press., 1874-05-01

AN EARTHLY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. TO a
correspondent of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, the
red skins are living in heaven, while we white
folks are shivering in very passable imitation
of a Scandinavian hell. The enthusiastic cor
respondent says: God Almighty never made
better country. Think of flower bed as large
as all New England Think of miles and rifles
of verbenas, in all varieties of tints, violets and
panses, ''alder's tongues" and daisies, sweet
briar, roses and honey suckes, all growing wild
and free, with luxuriance that not houses and
Conservatives have no notion of. Think of a
close, neat, green turf. dotted with all colors
and tints, stretching as far as the eye can see,
rising into hills and into clusters of hills till it
reaches the horizon where the sky curves down
to a long line of forest mountains, covering
under the clouds, and covered with haze as
heavy as the shadow of doubt and darkness
that rests upon the everlasting bills This IS
Indian Territory in April; and " hat must it be
in June? Following further down, crossing
the half dozen great rivers that water this par
adse, one finds the scenery varied. Not bold
and startling in its grandeur, but simply beau
tiful. Occasionally wide piece of Understand
is crossed, but it is most all sunshine and open
field, mysterious clusters of mounds, the relics
of primeval man, and long ranges of green
clad hills whose bosoms now and then swell
out into peaks aud knobs, then burst into jag
ged fantastic features, Scared in Natures bat
tie with time. 1t is Gods land as he made it,
not smoothed and clipped and fashioned after
mans design Dainty flowers from royal
robe for the earth, but they are so dainsy-some
of tbem-so delicate that they die when the
sun kisses them. Rich treasures of ore of all
kinds lie underneath the surface, which now
only the mole, and the wolf, and the wood
chuck mine This is the land of leisure, where
the soil needs but to be caressed to bring forth
fruit an hundred fold. 1t is perfect Lotus
land, and one looks instinctively for the Lotus
flower.
There are in this Territory, comprising an
area of 100000 acres, about the size of New
England, twenty five different tribes of In
dams, comprising population of about 10000,
including whites and negroes The more popu-
lous and influential tribes are the following:
Cherokees, II 800 population; Choctaws; d.
600: Creeks, $4,000; Chickasaws, 5000; Semi
noles, $500; Osages, $500; Cheyennes and Ar
apahoes, $780, Shawnees, 1000. Among these,
especially among the Creeks, Cherokees and
Choctaws are small remnants of other tribes,
too few to maintain their individuality and rap
idly passing away. The Osages were the origi
nal owners OF the country, but to-day they are
the weakest of all the tribes. In the treaties
with the government it was stipulated that
these Indians might hold their homes in the
Territory forever. The land is theirs, and they
have large annuities, which are making them
very rich SO that when the country is opened
for settlers the land and money apportioned
these outcasts will be as wealthy people as
can be found in all the States. The annuity of
the Cherokees amounts to $350,000; of the
Choctaws $250,000; of the Greeks $l75.000; of
the Chickasaws $100,000; of the Seminoles $40.
600. These funds are held in trust in Wash
ington; the tribe government being supported
from them, so that the red man pays no taxes.
The Cherokees have make the greatest ad
vance in civilization and it is from the capital
of their nation hat nv letter is dated They
are generally on par with the average 'front.'
iersman, as far as intelligence and cultivation
is concerned They live on farms scattered
miles apart, each supporting himself as best he
can, and waiting indifferently for an indefinite
something, to him unknown. They are of a
restless, undecided disposition, idle, and shift
less and dirty not from their own fault, for some
of them who have had advantages are model
farmers and business men, but simply from the
unfortunate circumstances in which they are
placed. The government supplies them with
land and houses; they know that they and
their children will always be cared for and
thus they have no incentive to work, and no
ambition to improve They raise only what
a living. Their idea Of money and its value is
small and their wants are few. An occasional
variety store" kept by white man, who has
ipgratiated himself by marrying "a half breed
wife, supplies them with the luxuries OF life.
and in that country life seems to have no ne
cessities. Their government is similar to that
of our States although tn ~ are responsible to
the United States only indirectly. The Chero-
KEGS elect a chief, second chief, Legislature,
three judges and three sheriffs every four years.
At Talequah the sessions of the Legislature and
the courts are held, beginning in November
and continuing thirty days. The present chief
is William P. Ross, half breed, graduate of
Princeton College and gentleman of culture
and excellent address. He understands per-
fectly the condition of his people, and it is I'M
derstood is personally in favor of apportioning
citizens and marry into the tribe Hundreds
have done this, and barring an uncer tain tenn
per the half breeds are said to make excellent
wives