The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-01-09
The NAT 0Nkl C.PlTAi.
The Indian Territory Investigating
Committee and the Way it
Did lts Work Last
Summer.
No Probability Of the New Army
Bill Ever Passing Congress
and Becoming a Law.
THE INDIAN TERRITORY.

MADE LAST SUMNER SHALL THE LAND
GRANT BE GIVEN TO THE RAILROADS.
WASHINGTON. D. C., December 1.-THE
efforts of various land grant railroad COM
panies and of all the champions of civiliz-
alton who throng the Arkansas, Kansas and
Missouri Dor ers of the Indian Territory,
and yearn to enter into possession Of its
fertile acres will be renewed in Congress
soon after the recess.
TMAY BE REMEMBERED
that at the last session the Sena'. Commit
tee on Territories was instructed to ascer-
tain, first, whether the railroad companies
to which conditional grants of land in the
Indian Territory were made have issued
bonds predicaied on said grants, and If 20.
Sin whose possession the bonds are and for
what purpose" second, whether the school
funds OF the Indians have been misappro-
priated by them. and how much money the
several tribes have paid to keep delegates
in Washington to look after their interests;
ar third, whether
A CIVIL FORM OF GOVERNMENT
cannot be organized over the Indian Terri
tory for the better protection of life and
property, and whether the lands now held
in common by said Indian tribes cannot be
divided in severslty among the Indians
without confirming the conditional grants
of land to certain railroad corporations
ONE CAN HARDLY SUPPOSE
that the interested railroad companies are
really anxious TO help discover a way TO
defeat their own purposes and it IL hard
to believe that they should go to the ex-
pense of special trains, and other courtesies,
for the sake of saving eff the limb on
which they are seated. Yet they did all
things, taking the members Of
THE SUB COMMITTEE
appointed to visit the Territory, Messrs.
Patterson and Grover, under their tender
care and ministering TO all their wants
with most earnest solicitude. 80 faithful
was this care that it is reported that prom
inent Cherokees, Creeks and others who
were depu;ed to represent their people be-
fore the committee and oppose the partition
OF their country, found great difficulty in
gaining access 10 the committee on many
occasions. Perhaps the fact that securities
of
TIE MISSOURI, KANSAS & TExAs
Railroad have advanced on the mere whis-
per that the committee would report in Ia
vor Of dividing the lands and transferring
the Indian Territory into Territory Of the
United States, may account for the liberal
behavior of the representatives, Of the
railroad interests. The subcommittee de-
voted two days to taking the testimon- OF
CHERoKEEs AT vIyITA,
in the Cherokee country, and three in hear
ing Cherokee asd Creek witnesses in Mus
kogee, in the Creek Nation. Senator Gro
yer departed at that point, and LEFT Mr..
Patterson to continue the investigation
alone, which he did, regularly meeting and
adjournipg himself at Eufala, McAlister,
S,ringtown, Caddo and Colbert Station Ia
the Territory, and at Fort Scott, Kansas.
The indefatieble industry of the sub-com-
mitiee after its functions became concen-
tra.ed in the person OF the South Carolina
Senator challenges admiration.
IN ONE DAY,
November 81 after session al Muskoeee
il held sessions at Eufals, where eighteen
witnesses were examined, at McAlister,
where four testified, and at Stringtovn,
where fourteen, all white men not citizen
of the Territory, gave their evidence. The
testimony of these thirty-siS witnesses oc
cupie, d y-iive printed pages; and taking
into account the nearly hundred miles OF
railroad travel required 10 visit all these
places will be seen that the committee had
indeed busy day. No ties imony was Ia
Ken except at railroad stations, and no
official visit was paid BY the subcommittee
to any place off the railroad, though Sena-
tor Patterson did spend few hours al Fort
Gibson, sDd
SENATOR GROTER
did the same at Tahlequah, the capital of
the Cherokee Nation, where be addressed
a public meeting OF the people. An earn
est effort WAS made by prominent Chero.
KEGS to induce the subcommittee TO visit
Tahlequah where the National Council was
iu session at the time, and where some
2 900 Cherokees had assembled 10 meet the
committee, but the condition of Senator
Pat,erson's health, while rugged enough to
permit him 10 do a large amount OF work
on the line Of the rsiiroad, forbade that he
should undertake a carriage journey OF
twenty miles.
THE TESTIMONY TAKEN
in the Indian Territory covers little less
than 400 printed pages. About 100 Cher
okees, forty Creeks, hait-a-dczen thoctsws
and Chickssaws, nine ChOctaw ard Chick
asaw freedmen, and twenty or more bites,
resident in the Territory but no: belonging
to either of the tribes, were examined.
Among the Cherckees there seems TO be
recruitment in fryor Of an allot-
ment of lands in seyera!ty, provided it can
be done without disturbing present tribal
laws and relations. Otherwise, there is
general sentiment in favor Of estabiishing..a
United States District Court in the Terri
tory, in accordance with
TREATY sTIPULATI0Ss;
and so far as the real Chsrokees are cen
cerned, with perhaps a half dozen eIcep-
tions there is a completely unanimous OPP
position TO any scheme for Territorial
all such schemes being looked
upon as intended not only to destroy the
autonomy Of the tribes, but :as certain in
the end TO deprive the Indians Of their
lands. The allotment of lands would be
more favorably looked upon il il were rot
The lHdt 81 Az otAAituON Az
disaster TO the present owners. Some OF |
The Delaware witnesses who now erioy |
rights as citizens among the CheroSees. re- |
lated
THEIR EXPERIENCE IN KANSAS,
and do not desire to have i. repeated. |
Among the Creeks, Choc,aTs and ChicLa-
saws, the committee found the sentiment |
81 II Il
measure While the committee tsrried al |
Muscogee, the Cherokee capital, Table
auah, was thronged with hundreds Of Cher
Okees, called together by a proclamation Of
their principal chiefs, TO give expression 10
their views on the subject the comm &c
vas cent to inyesti cate. A ballot was Il
and Las votes were cas-; for. and ae
against, petition setting forth
THE DESIRE OF TIE CHERoKEE
thst treaty stipulations shsll be adhered TO,
and that the allotment OF lands shall remain |
under the control of their National CCun
ril, and protesting against any change in
the form of government. Like petitions
we're sent to the COMMITTEE. bT the Creeks, |
signed by over LOCO OF that tribe, and |
others are said to be on their way TO Wash |
ington. The Cboctaw General Council |
passed, and sent TO the COM
mi,tee series OF resolutions, strongly pro- |
testing against any allotment Of lsnds, or
thapge in the form OF government.
The CHEROKEE NATIONAL COUNCIL
also unanimously adopted, December ), a |
series of resolutions declaring opposition TO |
any allotment Of the lands Except when |
by the Nstionsl Council as pro-
vided by treaty. and 'to any form OF Unit
ed States territorial government" by Con- |