Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1884-07-05
Z Il
AMONG THE CHICKASAWS.
An Indian Nation Where the Negroes Outnum-
ber the Redskins

guage OF their own, but have adopted
that of the Choctaws, which uses the
Roman alphabet, writes corresponds
ent from Boggy Depot, Indian Terri
tory. The Old Testament scriptures
have been translated into Choctaw,
too. and including the second book of
Kings, and the translators are now en-
gagged in translating the book of
Psalms. The translation to the end of
the Pentateuch has been in print for
several years, and the translators are
only waiting to see the new revision of
the bible to send the remainder of their
finished work to the printer. This
they expect to do by November, at the
latest.
1t will doubtless surprise many
readers to learn that the negroes
greatly outnumber the Indians in the
Chickasaw nation. The Cherokees.
Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, and
Seminoles were all slave-h holding tribes
before the war, and held II larger num-
Der of slaves than was generally sup
posed. By the treaties made with
these tribes in 1866, the freedom of the
negro was guaranteed in each, and
political equality was to be conferred
upon them on certain conditions and
for certain considerations. The Cher
okees refused to admit the freedmen
and Delawares to Il share in the $780,
900 appropriation made to the tribe by
congress last year. This will lead to
complete examination into the whole
matter, and the probable elevation of
both to the full and unquestioned right
of complete citizenship. The Choc-
taws have lately conceded full citizen
ship rights to the freedmen in their
nation. 1t is understood that the
Greeks have accorded the rights of citi-
ship to negroes ever since the war.
The Chickasaws alone stand out. The
treaty looked to the settlement of the
freedmen by themselves in the
Oaklahoma country as n possi-
bic necessity, but made it to the
pecuniary interest of the tribes to
take them into citizenship. The Chick
aSaws, for instance. were to make them
amount of money. The option was
left them of paying this or having the
negroes move out of their country by
the general government and cOlOnized
somewhere else. As the nation never
took action in the matter, and made
no provision for paying the freedmen
the money, the Inference has always
been that they intended to keep them
among themselves. But recent events
have shown Chickasaw reluctance to
do either. The question of negro suf-
fra0e is raised, and can never be quiet
ly ignored or denied. The Indians
find that the negroes Outnumber them,
and SO will never willingly consent
to their voting. The extra session of
the legislature, which has just adj
journed, appointed a delegation to
visit Washington and prevent, if posi-
BILE, any legislation comforting the
right of suffrage or citizenship upon
the negroes in the Chickasaw nation.
This act of the legislature would seem
to express their preference for the re-
mOval of the negroes on the conditions
of the treaty of 1866. But this cop
ton" having been SO long waived, and
the negroes having in the meantime,
by common consent, acquired SO many
vested property rights in the Chickasaw
country, the question of their removal
is surrounded by many new difficulties
and complications. They have built
houses and made farms and improve
ments which, by Chickasaw law, are
absolutely their own as long as they
occupy them. To dispossess them of
these against their will on any terms
would smack of positive injustice, but
to do so without full and fair compen-
sation would be nothing but wholesale
robbery. The question of fair APP
praisemcnt will have to be guaranteed
by the United States should their re-
mOVal be decided ON.
Matthew Arnold says that had he been more