San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-01-22
THE NATION.
To Be Opened Up For Immigra-
ton.
What a Promnent!Ofhcla of the Chsro.
koeslSaysi:About the APP
preaching Chang.

There Is destined to be a great change
in the landed ..prOprietorrhip of the In
dian Reservation known rs the Indian
Territory. shortly, and part of that
change Is now coming to the surface
The cause is natural one, worked out
to the approaching and inevitable re-
suit by the Indians them selves. who are
proyerbial for their dislike of manual la
Dor of any kind, and for living by the eff
forts of others. Their vocation in life
would seem to be that of an English
landlord in Ireland. and indeed, it would
appear from reports that they are now
and have been for some time engaged
in training themselves in practical
school for this vocation. From gentle
man of known culture and intelligence,
who has passed the last II or ~ years OF
his life among the Indians. and who has
been for many years past the Secretary
Of the Grand Council of the Cherokee
Nation. Mr.. Leonard lempletOn. the
LIGHT reporter obtained full history of
the disentegrating tendency the affairs
in the Territory. lie says each Indian.
or head of a family of Indians, in the
Territory is a landed proprietor for as
many acres as he can attend to and i'm
prove. Many Indians hold 1000 or more
acres and besides have allowed white
farmers to rent land from them for cul-
tivatiOn, paying them One-third and one
fourth OF their different crops annually.
The way this is accomplished, n farmer
comes in, interviews Mr.. Indian, and in
duCes him to locate farm in his I'm
dams name. Then Mr.. Farmer rents
it, improves it. and begins paving rent
at the end Of the second year Thus the
Indian. with several tenants. can devote
his entire time to riding around among
his fine herds OF cattle or in hunting,
while his tenants keep him well supplied
with provisions. This plan has worked
very well TOR the Indians for some years
back, but the whites began getting tired
of il after the repeal of the Old lease law
and the establishment of the new one,
and threatened to leave the Territory,
and Mr.. Indian in the lurCh also, If they
were not allowed to buy or lease the
land they cultivated. The councils of
the different tribes of the CherOkees,
Creeks. Chickasaws and ChOCtaws,
which hold an annual meeting in Sep
TENDER of each year, met and discussed
the question and decided TO send repre-
sentatives to Washington to urge upon
congress the necessity Tor stCtlOnlLlnB
the land in the Territory and allowing
the whites to come in as actual settlers.
This question has been talked of
for several years by the Indians,
the full-blOOds always opposing it,
while the haf-breeds were solid
in its favor, although being in the mi
nOrity in the councils, to forward it
Now, however, since they, the full
bloods see the determination Of the
whites to either possess the land they
cultivate .Or move out. they have sided
with the half bloOds, and few days ago
the CherOkees sold six million acres OF
their land. 1t is to be decided among
the Indians whether each head of a fam
lily shall have headlight or homestead
of so many acres. after which the re-
mainder will be for sale. This will open
up the beautiful and fertile Indian Ma
tion to the white man, and there is no
more fertile land in the country. 1t
will be quickly settled,
Mr.. TempletOn left few days ago to
return to the CherOkees. lie has
travelled extensively through Texas, and
likes the State and its climate, though he
prefers the territory above all Texas.