Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1884-11-28
An INDIAN Speech.

At the st. LOUIS Castlemens > toH-
vention.held in St. Louis last week,
Gen. Porter, a Creek Indian, spoke on
one of the resolutions. The following
is from the Globe. .Dem0eraf report:
The committee on resolutions sent
in a report on the Indian quesrion. The
resolution called upon the the secre-
tary of the interior to limit all Indians
to their respective reservations except
the Indians of the Indian territory.
The preamble Of the resolution reclted
that either through criminal carelessness
or careful criminality the Indians had
donesremenduous injury to the stock
| interest.
GEN PORTER,
a Creek chief of the Indian territory,
arose and said: II came here as a
representative eff the cattle industry,
/ but / assume now to represent the
American Indian. We are here In
America by the fiat of Almighty God.
The Indian preceded you on this
continent as the carboniferous era
preceded The present.
"The sovereigns of Europe agreed to
assume the right of sovereignty by right
OF arms, but they agreed that the title
to the soil was in the Indian When
the United States came into power,
they succeeded to all the obligations
both legal and moral, OF their predeces.
sors. The Unied States to-day has
not legally departed from that position
viz: That the Indian possessed the
soil, that the United States, succeeding
France, Spain and England, had only
the same right, namely, to purchase the
soil-not to take 1t. In every instance
where the United States has taken the
soil, 1t has taken it by treaty. purchase
or conquest. To-day we stand among
you on the morning of your growth a:
a nation, as few clouds fading away
. dotting the horizon, soon to disappear
utterly from mortal view. We, the
lingering element of vanishing race
, want to be at least Incorporated with
you. We know it is the inevitable re
suit. But we must not be destroyed
The United States has in the mair
, treated US well and humanely. W.
t are here 20 look at one interest. tht
r cattle growing one. This is an ele
ment which has brought the white ant
the Indian together. We get alonl
well with each other. The Indian ha:
learned your ways. You have taugh
him the idea ofland ownership which
D he never grasped before. You ar
doing good christian work for US, while
you are doing good for yourselves. l
you of Montana and Wyoming woul'
= consult with the people of Kansas ant
. the territory you would get along bet
6 ter with the Indians. Mutual conces
q aions are all that are wanted. We @
q the nation have no trouble with tn
. Kansans or Texans. The resolution
Is not one that does credit to the Amer
> lean Indian or to you. am sensitlv
on this matter. Anything that touche
6 the Indian has grown into the woof an
warp OF my being. The people OF tn
!. east believe that the cattlemen ar
tresspassing on US. 1t is not true
+ not. true at least as they believe it.
3 "Leave these questions to be settle
n by law and by treaty. Suppose we g
a to fight about it. The eastern .peopl
r. will tramp on US both they will er
!. deavor to protect the Indians, but the
e will engender such feelings that in tn
IS end must destroy US. / move that tn
:. preamble of that resolution be stricke
"a out" Cheers, Seconded.