Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-03-15
OKLAHOMA.
COnFr sasman Turner Gives His
Reasons for Opposing the
Measure.
Special to Kansas City Globe.


the prairie state who voted against
the Oklahoma Bill. Since the pass
of that measure in the house Mr.
Turner has made no secret of his in
tentiou to kill it in the senate if pos
sible Meeting him under the dome
In the great rotunda of the capitol /
this morning your correspondent pro
ceeded to PROFOUND inquiries con
corning his vote and attitude, to all |
of which Mr.. Turner replied fully and |
freely as follows:
''Fhere is no necessity for this char
acter of legislation at the present |
time. There Is law authorizing the
president to appoint a commission to
treat with the Indians for land in the
territory included in what is known
as Oklahoma. The real object of this
Legislation is to secure the lands at
price fixed by. the government. The
immediate result will be to lend en-
enlargement to a reckless class of
people who have for years, at differ
ent times, gathered along the border
| for the purpose of invading that ter
ritory. They do not possess the
character of the settler who will sue
coed them for the honest purpose Of
/ securing a home when the territory
is opened in a legal manner, but they
are prompted only by a spirit of adj
venture and will over run the country
and establish reign Of terror" and
Iawlessness that will force the In
dams to fear that their lands are IL
able to be taken from them at all
hazards and that they had better ac-
cept what they can get rather than
lose all. It is true the provisions of
tins Dill prohibit any such occupation
of the territory, but if this plan is car
ried out, the troops will be ordered
to prevent this invasion and a com
pany or two will be sent down there
for that purpose, but there will be
hundreds of the boomers to one
soldier and of course blOodshed would
not be thought Of for one moment and
while they would be escorting one
party out another would be going in.
in fact, the whole country will be
covered with people of this character
and the troops will accomplish moth
ing until the Indians accept the terms
offered. It might be presumed that
the government would not resort to
such a dishonest course, but it would
only be in keeping with the enllght-
ened a. treatment accorded the In
dams from the foundation of the gov
eminent. If the object of this Iegis-
lation is not for the purpose of cOerc-
ing the Indians into conserving to
part with their lands, why is not the
method provided by the present law
resorted to? The fact is that much
of the land is worth more than $1.25
per acre. The Indians have a stand
ing offer of So per acre for 100000
acres of these lands, and there is not
an acre but what is worth SIPS for
grazing purposes. Why should not
they be treated as fairly and Justly
as one citizen would deal with an
other? While I do not believe that
an Indian in the savage condition is
entitled to hold great tracts of land,
to the exclusion of those who are in
accord with the methods Of civiIiza-
ton, we should remember that these
Cherokees are civilized, In fact, were
so far advanced IN civilization that
when they resided in Georgia they
were given the right to send deputy
| to the congress of the United States
2 When they left their homes they left
behind them cultivated lands and
well stocked plantations. They have
eheerfuIIy accepted all of the condi-
tions Of civilization and hence are en-
: titled to every consideration that en-
lightened conscience would recognize
No one would question their right tx
this land, They were pleasantly anc
satisfactorily situated In Georgia anC
other sections east Of the Mississippi
river There was no question IN re
E gard to their title to the lands held
8 IN that section, but they were con
strained, to use moderate term, K
I exchange their lands for these In tn,
d territory and the treaty they made
then provided that ''the lands Of thi
Cherokee nation shall be secured t,