Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-06-22
ABOUT INDIAN LANDS.

ABOUT INDIAN LANDS.
The threatening situation i'm the
Creek nation, that has been noticed
in our dispatches for some days
past, seems 10 have quictcd down,
and the difficulty will be adjusted
without nn armed collision. 1t has
been represented in the reports from
the Indian country that an absurd
and exaggerated price, (Sli per head, }
had been set by the Creek council
on all the cattle grazing on that
reservation This the cattle owners
refused 10 pay, and the marshal or
sheriff of that tribe, which numbers
about five thousand souls, had been
ordered 10 drive them or Thissccms
n simple resort, but It Is ruin TO the
stocllmcn. They have made leases
with the Creek authorities ON
certain tracts Of grazing land, have
fenced them i'm, put up needed i'm
provcments aud stocked their
ranches with cattle. While the
Indian lands are held In common
this arrangement is mutually adj
vantagcous, because the grass
money goes into the Creek treasury,
and cheap pasture is secured for
the herds.
But II popular clnmor has arisen
lately over this use Of the Indian
lands. The large tracts leased 10y
cattle men, I'm somccascs amounting
10 millions of acres, have the SAVIOR
oflnnd monopoly, and the thousands
of landlcss ngitators In our country
have raised cry that the land is
for mon not cattle, These persons
have set their eyes ON the Indian
Territory ns u desirable country for
settlement, aud for years pust,
colonies of boomers have gone In
there, selected their homes, and
perhaps planted their crops. These
tilihustcring attempts have inyari-
ably resulted In the eicctmcnt of the
inuuderS 10y the military.
Influenced 10y this popular rcstivc-
ness congress has passed law, au-
thoriling the president 10 ullot the
Indian lands iu sovemlty of those
tribes who express II willingness,
and 10 appoint special agents to
assist the Indians In selecting their
farms, Three years is allowed them
to make choice of their homes, and
then the remainder will he sold la
parcels not exceeding ldO acres to
actual settlers, There Is to hc no
land monopoly la the carrying out
of this law. The price tohc charged
for the Indian lands is To he deter
mined 10y the Indian commissioner
aud the chief men of the tribe, Al
ready the president has appointed "a
number OF special agents for various
tribes Ina Nebraska, Dakota and else
whcrv, and this provision has also
becn made for the Umatinos, who
under theproVisions of this law, will
select their homes, aud undertake
the task ot supporting themselves,
Their homes arc made maliemblc
for "a term of years, and the money
derived nom the sale of their surplus
lands viii be expended In schools
Tor their vhildpu, and la wagons,
farm animals and implements for
themselves, The government as
trustee for the O-agvs, who sold
their magnificent reservation In
southern Kansas under similar con.
ditions, pays yach mymhcr or the
tribe am annuity of SlSO, thus rtn-
dvrng them, as senator Patt, ot
Connecticut has descrbcd them
"thc riches, pcoplc ou the n,co at the
earth"
10 comic hack to the CrVks. 4
few days ago oar di,patchy, lvu
them la "a thrilling situation, The
sheriff with apo>~c of ont huudp,d
brNvs rUdy to yuiopso the chiefs
orlrr of expulsion, and thy coWboys,
rinionsd with hWlc,s tp'sUssyr,
nVm un slides, Wyl armed aud
awaiting ,h, assault lNJ an ya,iyr
way ouJ ha,hyu found Expulsion
b. only dvynvd against those who
pasgun th,,r h,ris on tb, u,sena-
lion huJ do nu, live mena small
-iock ownus AT whom thert ars
hundnsis n lhe Cpyk ualion. an,
n0t to o. disturbed AZ ,h,re d,
\ lllnn.r un--nIlna nruLn.I INN.