Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-01-14

claimants 10 ciOHcnsmp IN our
country First the colored people
who claim they came in compliance
with tho ninth article Of the treaty
Of 1866, and the other class is the
unauthorized citizens Of the United |
States who have been allowed to |
squat on some Of our best lands by |
United States Indian agents. | /
say unauthorized. They were au-
thorized by the agent to locate
among the CherOkces, but they are
here without the sanction Of our
law or any other. | have yet to
find any provision in the treaty
whereby the United States agent
is allowed to permit every United
States citizen who choosed, to re-
main in our country on simple
primd.facie showing. If they are
allowed to remain in our country.
and make farms by permission of
the interior department, that dc.
partment is guilty of doing the
Cherokee Indians an injustice in
the face of treaty provisions. A
few years ago our council created a
citizenship court to try the rights
Of claimants. Those the commits
sion admitted were. accepted By
l.the United States government, or
at least st intcrposcd no objection
to the rights and privileges confer
red upon them by the commission,
but claimants the court rejected
set up howl about their pretended
rights and were allowed to remain
by the agent. Now let us see if
the court created then by our coun-
ell had the right to try claimants
to citizenship in the Cherokee ma
ton. By treaty we have these
words; "The United States shall
secure to the Cherokee nation the
right by their national councils to
make and carry into effect all such
laws as they may deem necessary
for the government and protection
Of the persons and property within
their own country belonging to
their people, or such persons as
have connected themselves with
them, provided, always that they
shall not be inconsistent with the
constitution of the United States,
and such acts Of congress as have
been or may be passed regulating
trade and intercourse with the In
dians." Was the creation Of that
citizenship court inconsistent with
: the constitution of the United
States, or any act of congress regu-
lating trade and intercourse with
the Indians? l answer, no. The
creation of that court was in ac-
cordance with a treaty provision
conferred wholly upon the Chero-
kee nation and by our government
not being allowed to exercise that
privilege does not impair the treat
any in the least. There is q con-
stitutional provision acknowledge
: ing all treaties made between the
United States government and any
foreign government, or nation OF
Indians, to be the supreme law oi
the land. AS matter of policy il
would be much wiser and better in
both governments to adhere closely
to treaty. The Cherokee nation
commits almost a suicidal act by
submitting to the domineerine
policy Of the other government to.
wards her.
Now few words in regard tc
the other class of claima uts tc
citizenship; Probably the greatest
! error our nation ever committed OF
ever will commit, was the one al
lowing the colored claimants to
citizenship live here so long with
out properly settling the question
of their rights. Almost all of them
were owned here prior to the war
as slaves, by the Cherokee people.
The simple fact of their being
claimants to citizenship has given
opportunity for hundreds of other
negroes to drift in from the states
and set up the same claim, and
their number is continually in
creasing. However, the citizen.
ship court lately created by OuI
council we hope will ultimately
and finally settle this long anC
Yexed question.
JOHN II. BECK.
s
ANOTHER CHAPTER.