The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-04-18
IN THE INDIAN NATION.
What Dill ArAsaw in the Territory OF the
Civilized Red Man.

Civilized Red Man.
[Cor. Atlanta constitutional
! made little trip up in the Indian
nation among the Choet0ws and Chick
asaws. found a quiet little town,
with about ,0O1 inhabitants, most of
them akin to Indians, and many of the
white people from Georgia. A very in
telligent BAPTIST minister, who has been
living there thirty-six years, told me
that ne white man could occupy any
lands in the nation unless he had IL
cense to trade or had intermarried with
the Indians. He showed me his own
house and grounds, and when | asked
him how he acquired the right, to my
great surprise he answered: why,
married an Indian was astonished,
for he did not look like he bad an In
dian wife. He had children and grand
children, and they impressed NE with
their fine forms and Leautifnl eyes and
hair. My landlord was an old Georgian,
and his educated Indian wife was
fine specimen of wife and mother. The
children were well hammered and smart
and handsome.A
Another gentleman told me he was
teaching d school at one of the missions.
lie was an elderly gentleman, and they
called him doctor, and as he was very
communicative | yentured to ask him if
the grandchildren of these inter-mar-
riages of whites with Indians were
healthy and vigorous. lie smiled at
me and said: We'll, yes, | think So
mine are" Shortly afterwards his In
dian wife came into the store, and was
introduced. So found myself in the
cautious state, and did not press such
delicate questions. That night the Rev.
Dr. Wright called on me. He is full
blooded Choctaw-a Presbyterian min
lister of gentle manners and fine inteli-
gence If / was a young man and
couldn't find an Anglo-Saxon to please
me at home, ! think ! could Le easily
persuaded to mate with one of his
daughters, especially il there was a fine
area of splendid land and a cattle ranch
close by and she had the title or was
the heir expectant. | like these In
dians and it seems to me there is yet
hope for the race
We arc 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, hut | reckon we would have
done the same under similar persecu-
ton. But here are the Cherokees, and
Creeks, and Choctaws, and Chickasaws
in this territory and they all live in
good, comfortable houses, %and have
schools, and churches, and many OF
them would ornament any society how
ever cultivated. There are no distil,
leries in the nation, no saloons, no
gambling houses and when dis
turber Of the public peace intrudes
himself there he is promptly
suppressed and expelled They have a
better government to day than any in
the states When white man wants
to be trader in any of their towns he
has got to get recommendation from
ten leading citizens, and then his peti-
tion goes to the governor or chief, and
If it is approved by him it is sent 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 can
take up as much land as he can tend
and mile all around it for grazing pur
poses. All these trading men get rich
in a few years, and mosA Of them marry
Indians, or half breeds, and are happJ.
But, after all, wouldn't advise any
man who has passed the meridian of
life to break up and move to Texas, un-
less his children had moved there be-
fore him Folks are like rabbits, and
Wien the hounds OF trouble get after
them they can fly for awhile, but they
long to twine their course homeward to
the scenes Of their yoath. don't think
! could give up the mountains and val
leys and gushing streams of north
Georgia for even the rich plains Of
Texas. am afraid to make the ven
ture. | like the country and the peo-
Pile and the climate, but like old
Georgia better, We arc slow, but we are
suro. But if was young man with
out wife, and didn't banker
after one, think shoald settle down
somewhere in tie west in some new
railroad town and grow up with it II
q young man didn't have but Just
enough money to get there, the 'accli
mation" weuldn hurt him The troabe
with our Georgia boys and girls is that
! they attach entirely too much impor
tauce to The eXactions Of society. They
marry and 60 into some business OF
: little means and live on a strain and keeI
: poor and keep pro d and cant move
away and can't hardy stay at home
! Society is their dead weight 1t is moi
SO over here. They can live in dug
:, out and be spectacle. They can sew
for living Or teach scool or sell vegeta
bles or fruits aud lose no caste, and ii
this respect Texas is far ahead O
Georgia.