The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-08-10
NUMBER "a.
The Oklahoma Bill.
New Mississippian.

New Mississippian.
The Indian Territory of Okla.
homa is vast body Of land con.
sisting of twenty-three milIione of
acres. 1t is bounded on the west
by New Mexico and Texas, and is
located Immediately south of Col.
oradO and Kansas. 1t exceeds In
acres half dozen OF the New
England States. A bill is pending
IN Congress TO establish a govern
ment for this territory extending
over such portions of it as are not
provided with government by the
Indian tribes, the constitution and
laws of the United States-the
prime object being 10 open The un-
occupied lands OF homesteaders.
In the debate upon this interest
ing question, two of the Mississip-
pi Representatives, Messrs. Hook.
er and Stockdale, took opposite
sides, the former in opposition to.
the bill; the latter IN support of it..
What they said may interest their
respective constituencies:
Mr.. HOOKER,
(Mississippi), earnestly pleaded
that the government should act in
good faith toward the Indians. 1t
had been said that the Indians
were an obstacle in the pathway of
civilization. If gentleman want
ed TO speak of civilization, let them
read some of the first great princi-
pies Of civilization that were en-.
graved by the great Law-giver of
the world on tablets of stone. He
would have them remember the
traditional basis upon which all
civilization was built-"Do you
unto Others as you would have 9TH
ers do unto YOU" He would COM
mend the advocates of this bill to
one of the len Commandments,
consisting of but four words, of one
syllable each: "Thou sealt not
steal" He denied that the bill
was in lhe interest of the home.
steader.
Mr.. Hooker protested against the
government taking the territory
which had been gwen 10 Indians,
and converting it into a white
mans territory under the form of
legalized robbery.
Gentlemen were not faithful
guardians of their wards, he SAID.
when they would absolutely rob
them, and it they could not rob
them alive, they were willing TO
kill them in order that they might
rob them when dead.
MR.. sToCKDALE,
(Mississippi). If, said he, the adj
vocates of this bill were robbers,
the fingers of scorn could be point
ed at Mr.. Daniel Boone. The same
finger should be pointed at the his
torlc William Penn for Penn first
took the land and paid for it after
ward. The policy Of the bill was
the policy which had been follow
ed ever since the Pilgrim Fathers
put foot on Ply ymouth Rock.
Civilization was true, and it must
be accepted by the Indians because
lhe Anglo Saxon race had gone,
forth like the flood tide, and the
Indians might as we'll resist the
waves of the ocean as resist its
These people must come
under the laws of the United
States. The white man was as good
is the Indian, and the white man
rad to submit to the laws. The de-
,ree had gone forth. 1t had been
igned when the Pilgrim Fathers
Inelt on Plymouth Rock and de-
'oted this new world to civiliza-
ion, to liberty and to laws it had
,een emphasized when the Anglo
saxon swung his rife on his shoul-
Ter and n, ..sscched West. The decree
vas that the American savages
must submit 10 civilization, and
hat the government would not
its laws from a small.
portion of the country and fence a
mall farm for the breeding of saw
lges. Gentlemen might as we'll
ecognIze the fact that it was a con-
lition and not a theory that con-
ronted them.