Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1888-02-16

huu udBc lullo W properly "a
press and condemn this terrible
outrage.
February, Is, 1853.
Wednesday morning the capitol
building had n narrow escape.
The senate committee room floor
took fire under the stove. After
starting the fire, the fire maker
shut up the room and went to
breakfast and the door was not
opened for perhaps an hour.
Dense volumes of smoke issuing
from the chimney first attracted
attention. Some one ran there
and found the room so full Of
smoke it was almost impossible to
20 in or look in. The floor was
ablaze. ltwas quickly extinguish-
ed but it was a narrow risk for
there is a big hole through the
floor, with one or two of the sleep
ers nearly burned in two. Be-
ing right beside the partition wall,
if it had only got headway in
under and up through that wall
the pride of the Cherokee nation
would have been laid low in a
heap of ashes and debris.
Tahlequah is deserted. The
faces and forms which have been
seen on her streets day and night
for nearly 100 days, are seen no
more. Gone scattered into every
neighborhood of the nation. Gone
to talk over the exciting times
through which they have passed.
Gone to fight the battle over again;
and to gaping, breathless, interest
cd groups of friends and old
or onies, recount the scenes OF dan
ger, the deeds Of valor in which
each bore a part. Some with
clean, honest records can look
every man squarely in the face.
Others-and what can be said Of
their record? Duplicity, fraud,
trickery, cheating the people out
of their choice as exposed at the
election, accepting position to
which they had no just. legal
claim, only because "might does
not make right"-claiming and ac-
cepting pay for II days work not
done, and which had already been
paid for to the right man How
can such men meet the people
they have defrauded ? Surely
there will be a day Of reckoning !
One of the latest of council pro-
ceedings was Il message received
from the chief vetoing the bill in
relation to claim put in by Wal
lace Ross, and tackled onto the
education appropriation bill. The
board Of education had examined
into the whole matter and report
ed that the claim was unjust and
would not allow it, but the com.
mittee put it on as a "rider," and
recommended it be allowed. and
senate passed the bill in that shape
over chiefs veto. Lower house
promptly amended by taking of
the fraudulent claim Of 81 1915
and passed the bill, but before il
was sent up to the chief, the COM
mittee again got hold Of it and put
that "rider" back and by some
means the house this time passed
it and sent up TO the chief. He
again vetoed it and sent it down
to the senate, which passed ii by
a two-thirds vote over the veto and
sent it to the house which this
time failed TO sustain. Twas
then sent up to tie chief who sign
ed it 0ithout the 81, ,453.1 10 fraud,
and the bill quickly passed both
houses ! The other grand fraud
of paying j. G. schrimsher for
seyenty-one days that he was not
entitled to by any law Of justice
and equity-because one man, and
he the rightful claimant, had al
ready been plid-was more sue
cessful. 1t was at first fought by
good men and true, who have al
along stood shoulder to shoulder,
battling for the right in this une-
qualed contest. But time was
short. II was the very last mo-
ments Of the expiring session, and
IL gas suecsssfull These two cases
will somewhat explain TO out
siders, and let a little light into
the "ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain" of politicians, and
show up something Of the bard
work those who have stood true 40
steel, have bad all this whole ses-
sion.