The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-04-30
IN TIE INDIAN NATION.
What I.ill Arp Saw In the Territory Gt tn,
Civilized Red Man.

What Biil Arp saw In the Territory 1t til,
Civilized Red Man.
tsor Atlanta Constitution
made q little trip up in the Indian
nation among the Choctaws aud Chick
asaWs. found quiet little town,
with about 1000 inhabitants, most ss
them akin to Indians, and many Of tho
white people from Georgia. y very in
teliigent aptist minister, who has lcen
living there thirty-six years, toll me
that 10 white man could occuiy my
lands in the nation unless he had Il l.
ccnse 10 trade or had intefGEir.ic,! with
the Indians lie showed me his own
| house and grounds. and when ASKED
him how he &c iuirc the right, to my
, great sGrpris.. he aHsws rel: why,
married an Indian. ! WIS astonishea,
Tor he did not look like he had an IN
dian wife. lie had children and gran /
children, and they impressed l,c With
their fine forms and eautiful eyes and
| halr My landlord was an old seoigi..ii,
and his educated Indian wife was "A
/ finc specimen of a wife and mother. The
children were well hammered and smart
and handsome.
Another gentleman told me he Was
teaching Il school at one of the missions.
lie Was All elderly gentleman, and they
called hini doctor, and as he wis very
/ communicative ! venturea TO ask hial if
the grandchildren oi these inter- mar
| riages Of whites with Indians were
healthy and vigorous. lie smiled at
me and said: "aell, yes, think 80
mine are Shortly afterwards his IN
f4, if,t.. hn OF nd l
introduced. 20 | found myself in III
cautious state, and did not press such
| delicate questions. That night the rev.
Dr. Wright called OIL me. He is a full
liooled Choataw-a Presbyterian min
lister Of gentle manners and fine inteli
gonce. II l Was /: young man and
couldn't ind an Anglo-SaAon to please
| me at home, think | could 10 easily
persuaded TO mate with one of his
daughters, especially If there was tine
area OF splendid land and cattle ranch
cose by and she had the title or was
! the heir eXpeetant. | like these In
dams, and il seems to me there is yet
hope for the race.
We are too apt to Judge the race by
| the Comanches and other brutal tribes.
and from Our childhood we have coupled
them with massacres of women and
children, | lii reckon we would hays,
| cone the same under similar persecu-
ton. Iut here are the Cherokees, and
Greeks, and hoctaws, and Chicaasaws
in this territory and they all live in
good, comfortable houses, and have
schools, and churches, ana many of
them would ornament any society how
ever cultivate. There are no distil-
leries in the nation, no saloons. no
gambling houses and when y dis
turuer Of the public peace intrudes
himself there he is promptly
suppressed and expelled They have !,
better government to-day than an in
the states. when white man wants
to be a trader in any of their towns he
has got to got recommendation from
ten leading citizens, and then his peti
tion goes to the governor or chief, and
ii it is approved by him it is stnt to
Washington City to be approved by the
secretary of the interior. After he
trades awhile and gets established there
he marries an Indian maiden and cali
. take up as much land rs he can tend
and a mile all arourl it for gra ing pur
poses. All these trading men get rich
in few years, and most of them MARI,
Indians, or half breeds, and are happy.
But, after all, wouldn't advise any
man who has passed the meridian ol
: life to break up and move to Tes sas, nn'
! less his children had moved there be
fore him Folks are like rabbits, and
when the hounds OF trouble get after
them they can ny for awhile, but the!
long to twine their course lomeward t
the scenes oi their yoath. ldon't thini
! could give up the mountains and val
leys and gushing streams Of nortl
Georgia for even the rich plains Of
Texas. am afraid to make the ven
ture like the country and the peo
pie and the climate, but ! like olt
Georgia better We are SOW but we art
sure. But if was a young man with
out a wife. and didn't banker
after one, | think ] shoald settle dowi
some where III the west in some ncr
railroad town and grow up With it |
young man didn't have but JUS
enough money TO get there, the ''aecli
nation Mouidn hurt him The troab!,
with ou" eorsia loys and gir.s is thai
S. they attach entirely too much impor
tance 10 the exactions Of society. The,
marry and go. into some business 0,
little means and live ona strain and keel
poor and keep pr, 4 and can t mou
away and cant hardly stay at home
Society is their deat weight II is no
SO over here. They can live in 4 dug
out and be respectable. They can sew
for i living or tcacl. seooi or sell yege,a
bes or fruits and lose no caste, and il
tTfs respect Texas is. far ahead o
Georgia.