Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-11-07
uEL1BoRNS OPPORTUNITY.


Indian Territory is too big blot upon
our civilization to escape notice. 1t oh
trudos itself before the gaze Of all who
loo, to the West. It opposes itself to oil
who would unite the West with the West
crn territories and the South with the
North. 1t subdues enterprise, discourages
commerce, protects monopolles, and
illustrates all efforts for tho extension OF
trade and civilization along It's borders in
Kansas, Arkansas, Texas and New Next
co. A change must be made, and that
soon, in its anomalous scheme Of govern
mcnt.
The special dispatch to this paper from
Red Fork, Indian Territory, published
yesterday, giving the views OF the CON
eressional Indian commissioners after
their visit through the Territory, has a
hopeful tone. They speak Of some change
I la the management Of the tribes, and
will probably recommend the adoption OF
a territorial form Of government. This
| Is at once the most feasible PLAN and sug-
gesls itself as the proper relief from the
| present ills of government. A territory
| grows to state, as boy TO manhood.
| Territorial rule in Indian Territory will
| be brief. II will attain the dignity Of
statehood in few years. Its admission
/ will give to the Democrats two additional
| United States senator's. But proba-
tionary period of tcrritorialism must pre-
code statehood, and now, soon, this
plague-spo. ought to be erected into the
normal condition of territory, that it
may the sooner apply and be received as
state.
/ The Eastern mind is changing to .
more rational view of the Indian prob
| lem. Where former efforts to open up
the Territory have been opposed and dc
fcated by Eastern votes in congress, we
may now expect assistance and oncour-
agcment from that section. The New
York Independent, religious neWspa-
per, thus points to the change in feeling
Ia that quarter: awe have waited long
enough The times Will wait no longer
The advancing wave is moving West.
Barbarism must get out of its way. II
win not 90 round the reservations long
it will so over them. What the Indian
| does not use, he can not hold. But, by the
reaties he does hold it, and we are bound
TO pr otect him; and the Indian is kept il
barbarsm, and all the instincts Of indus
try and civilization are pat in opposition
to the government which protects hin
there. The Indian must take what lane
he can use, use it, and sell the rest to set
tiers To do otherwise means little LEST
than border war. And there is an eXi
gency. Thank God! the Indian wants
land to till. He is praying us to give /
I TO him. Let Congress do it at once
, Mr.. Wellborn, Texas congressman
was chairman OF the last committee OF
, Indian Territory. He is reelected, an(
: there is no doubt that he will he Offered
t the same Craftsmanship in the Forty-nint
4 congress. In that position his in
= Guencc in dealing with all qucs
/ tons affecting the Indian Terri
t tory is paramount. lie can easily brlnl
n the question before congress, if he will
S MIR. Wellborn is young and has long lif
c before him. He looks forward to polit
l. cal promotion, and to gain that he mus
hold and increase his present popularity
The GAZETTE win say to him now, as q
: friend, that the best card he can play i
Texas politics Is to identify himself wit
# an earnest championship of Indian TER
= tory opening. That accomplished throug
n his agency, he can have almost anythin
g he would ask for IN Texas.