The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-02
THE VALUE OF OKLAHOMA
TO THE CORMORANT AND GREEDY
CATTLE BARONS
Why II Should Be Opened TO White
Seitlers, and Not Any Longer BE
Given Up TO Cattle.

will begin contest IN the House OF ;
very interesting kinda grand battl,
betw en- a number OF very wealthy
cattle corporations who are using part
OF the Indian Territory for their oper,
ations, and the small farmers who
want TO make farms there. What Con.
Rress shall do will show who is the
strongest few rich corporations, OF
a mulhtSde of poor farmers.
II is upon the bill reported to the
House BY the Committee on Terrific
ries 10 create the Territory of Okla
homa that this question will be de-
cided; and the facts and figures which
follow will show why.
suCH LAND AND PEW PEOPLE.
The whole Indian Territory, so
called, contains A, ,2I0 acres of
land.
II contains 20, 400 people, part In
dams and half-breeds and part whites
and negroes, who figure as adopted
Indians"
Allowing four TO a family, this would
make 1881 families. Put it at 10000,
and il " each family should be as.
signed 100 acres of land, this would
take up on y 100000 acres, and leave
over 100000 vacant and open for
settlement of small farmers. The sale
of these many millions of acres would
give to the 10000 Indian families q
fund OF money 80 large that they
would be undoubtedly the wcalthiest
20,0Oo families in the world, and would
live al ease, they and their descend
ants, forever
WHY NOT?
II the President would summon the
heads Of the Indian tribes hitber. he
and the Secretary of the Interior
might be able TO show them that this
would be the best and that il is per-
haps the only safe course for them and
their people. But u vast cattle interest,
which has fixed its grip on the Indian
lands, and il every year getting more
and mere hold, Is interested in pre-.
venting such or, in fact, any settle
ment OF the Indian question 80 far as
ii relates TO the indian Territory.
This cattle ring and its agents here are
determined 10 prevent any action by
Congress- or by the President to inter
fere with its enormously profitable
monopoly OF millions of acres. These
cattlemen have influence in both
houses Of Congress. II is even assert
cd that Representatives and Senators
have pecuniary interests in cattle com
panies in the Indian Territory, though
OF this there is no proof. But that
the cattlemen have political in |
fiuehce in parts Of Missouri and Kan
sas is, no doubt, true. The lobby of |
the indian Territory cattle ring is
conspicuous fact here, and their claim
rs that the Indians do not want any
change and that the government must
respect the wishes OF the Indians
THK CATTLE RING.
To understand this cattle business
II must be known that even the In.
dams themselves in the Territory do
not prentend 10 occupy all the lands
Of the Territory. Entirely aside from
the reservations, twenty-five in nun
Der, there remain three great areas
which the tribes not only DO NOT nrel
tend to occupy, but which by law
they have no right 10 20 into vet ali
within the bounds of the Indian Ter.
ritory These are:
FSa. The Cherokee Land Strin
containing over 600, 600 of acres ~
Second. The Public Land Strip. g..
1928 o acres - -
IMrd. : Oklahoma, 1887, 100 acres
The Cherokee land strip was ceded
by the Cherokees 10 the United Sta,os
N lsSS for the purpose Of settling
friendly Indians on it, Half a mill.
ION acres were used for this purpose.
md the rest was left unoccupied,
to4s,VOo were paid 10 the Indians ms
part payment for the whole tract Of
winch over 100000 have been puf
o sc by the government,
The public land strip adioins tho
jherokec land strip on the west II :
vas ceded by Texas TO the United /
'tates IN 1862, Congress has left il =
law, without organization of n
ny KIND, and has given no authority !
Or its settlement. II is a blank spoi. Il
irger than Connecticut, left living I
at OF doors in the middle of the i
Jnited States. But Connecticut has i
% 900 people. '''' !,
Oklahoma, containing 1 sS7 1oo
ores, was originally land nj Tia \
'reeAs and Seminoles. Secretary n
'amar says; "The Indians have been =
aid therefor according to agreement" 3
lie adds in his report; "No agent of o
he government resides upon this g
and, and 1t Is not occupied in any v
ray by any person or persons for any II
urpose under any authority of this d
apartment" "a
These three tracts, containing in nil i
,oSZ,0So acres, are now in possession a
4 the cattlemen. They are greatly a
Ieslred by small farmers who want 10 I
make homesteads, n
II this great area were parceled ont h
n 100 acre farms il would make homes |,
or ,S9l families. /,
HOW THE FARMERS ARE KEPT OUT. Ii
The Cherokee Cattle Company, com
'osed OF citizens of Missouri and Kan. y
AS, was formed in July, 1883. Ii leased
rom the Cherokee chiefs. at an an =
lual rental OF 100000, the whole 7
!, OO0,0O acres OF the Cherokee land =
trip. II then proceeded to suhlet TO !
'ther cattlemen Mt rate which MIR. =
Weaver in the House asserts gives To '
he original company 100000 year
What right have the Cherokees To !
ease land which long ago they sold to +,
he government and for which they
lave received a part payment Of $685.
'O02 That is a matter which certain
y deserves inquiry by Congress, which
'ught 10 ask the Interior Department
low il comes about that land of which
he government has the fee and on
which it has paid part OF the price can
,e leased by Others TO its own exclu-
ion7
INDIANS DsPosING OF GOVERNMENT
LAND.
But this is not all. West of the
jherokee land strip lies, as before ex-
'lained, the public land "Trip, over
/, 500,000 acres. This never was in the
u the Cherokecs. Il was
eded direct by Texas ~ the United
'tates Yet the Cherokee Council
las had the audacity 10 lease 10 cat
le syndicate also tins public land
frin Tho RecoqJ ~ 10 time.