The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-02-03
VOL. Is.
In the Indian Nation.

In the Indian Nation.
Correspondence New York Herald.l
In the last report of the Indian
Commissioner he enumerates 635
separate treaties and agreements
between the United States and the
Indian tribes. They date back to
Ills, when we made the first treaty
with the Delawares. The first
treaty with the Cherokees was in
1884. We have made twenty-five
treaties with the Cherokees, tween.
ty-two with the Delawares, nine
teen with the Greeks, forty-fve
with the PottawattOmies, and tsir-
ty-three with the Sioux; and it is
safe to say we have never kept
one of them. Whether the neces-
sity of progress is an excuse for
breach every one must judge for
himself. The Delawares are now
reduced to less than 800, and the
Pottowattomies now number 800
on a reservation of $4,000 acres
in the Indian territory and 43O on
1900 acres in Kansas. We hold
over 100000 in trust for the Pot
towattomies and over s1,20O,00O
for the Delawares. The Delawares
now number 776. The Cherokecs
own four million acres east of 96
degrees. About one-third of this
is choice tillable land, over one
third good pasture, and the balance
rough, mountainous and inferior.
There is abundance of water, three
large streams-IllinOis, Ncosho
and Grand rivers-fowing thro'
its whole length, and many small
streams. 1t is beautiful country,
with plenty of wood and large coal
beds as yet not worked. The large
streams are filled with fish, and
deer, turkeys and smaller game
abound. The United States holds
in trust for the Cherokees S2,G6i,-
OOI, upon which they receive about
100000 interest. They also real
ize from $4,000 to $4,000 from
pasturage permits and licenses.
Sixty thou sand dollars is appro.
priated for schools, the balance
pays all their government expen.
s s. They have no taxes, not even
in their villages for municipal pur-
poses.
There is but one reservation in
their patent: "Thc lands shall re-
,est to the United States if the
Cherokee nation becomes extinct
or abandons the same" This
clause was not in their treaties,
and the Cherokees claim should
not be in the deed. The Supreme
Court has limited but not decided
that the reservation is void. The
reservation has this important
bearing: II good and the Chero-
KEGS conclude to divide the lands
among themselves and become
United States citizens the Nation
would be extinct. While it re.
mains they cannot become United
States citizens aud accept our iu-
risdiction.
The Cherokees, in 1880, by their
own census, had 1875 citizens,
1871 Chcrokees by blood, 1876
blacks, 1882 adopted whites, tmar-
ried to Indians) 672 Delawares,
502 Shawnees and 222 Greeks; the
Creeks settling In the Nation be-
ing citizens by law, the Delawares
aud Shawnees being citizens By
agreement, and the blacks being
former slaves in the Nation. Of
the Cherokees not over one.tcnth
are full blood. This | had from
the person who took the census,
and he knew every Indian in the
Nation. There are more half than
full bloods, and more than one
half of the Nation are undlstin-
guishable from whites. Their con-
stitution is simple ann well-formed,
and their laws are only applicable
to their own courts, non-citizens
having no standing in their courts.
Before the war the Cherokees
owned 1904 slaves. Many of these
left the Nation during the war.
Their rights as citizens are now
very reluctantly acknowledged by
the Cherokees; they do not affili-
ate, and a marriage between a me-
gro and a Cherokee is very rare.
Some of tho negroes are good
workers on their own account ;
they raise most of the cotton, but
most of them are idlers and lead
shiftless lives.
INDIAN BLOOD DYING OUT.
1t is evident that the Indians
proper are rapidly decreasing, and
that intermarriage with the Whites