Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1889-04-25

tent to hear and dispose Of the Of
fer the commission is authorized to
make. The want Of due recogni-
ton OF counoil'simportance in dis
posing Of so grave question and
Of the actual necessity for their
services, as complained OF by
some Of the leading Nationals,
clearly indicates that that party
is very anxious to have mole 20 do
with the offer of the commission,
by reason Of their majority in
council, than anybody else, even
II only to pow.wow. The condcm-
nation ofthe chief because it seems
that he does not intend to convene
the council on the coming Of the
commission, has the ugly look
that the council has the right to
answer for the people in accepting
their offor, or to dispose of our
lands. There is certainly a very
great difference between the Ma
tionals and the Downings, because
the latter do not concede that the
title to our lands is in the nation
as a government, but in the
people as a community. If the
Nationals want to run the next
election on that principle, they
certainly have the liberty to do so,
and if they are going to make po-
litical capital out OF the refusal Of
chief to convene the council TO dis
pose Of any offer that he believes
belongs to the people, and not to
be monkeyed with by the council
they are at liberty to do that too.
The position of THE CHIEFrA1N
on this subject has been more than
once defined by claiming that the
title to our lands is not in the
Cherokee government, but in the
people; not in the council or the
authorities of the government, but
in those who select certain of their
fellow citizens TO exercise such au-
thority and to perform such duties
as are in accord with their consent
and as expressed in the constitu.
tion and no further. If the coun-
Gil is not authorized by the consti.
tuition to dispose of our lands,
when they may deem it necessary
for the public interest or are SC
instructed by the people, what
right has the council to consider
the offer of the commission Or
what necessity is there in calling
the council in extra session to CON
slider a proposition, when it is a
well established fact that the
Cherokee people are a unit against
the sale Of any Of our lands at 81 .25
an acreP Unless authorized by the
people themselves, has the coun.
Gil, if assembled, the right even to
tell the commission that we have
no lands TO sell? Could that body
impart more dignity, solemnity
and strength to refusal to sell
than 10000 people moved to re.
ject an offer that is an insult to
their intelligence, and a farce OF
the common rule of trade =? In.
stead of coming down here with
their hands tied, had the commits,
sion been authorized to negotiate a
price for our lands, there might be
some sense in convening the coun-
Gil to meet them in consultation
about the matter, SO that the high
est offer, whatever it may be,
could be submitted to the people,
to be accepted or rejected by them
next August. But this is not so
The necessity for convening the
council is just as unreasonable,
when we consider what our lands
are really worth and could be
sold at, if we were allowed to sell
them ourselves, as if the commits
sion were only authorized TO offer
their appraised value or less.
Simply because the commission is
sent down here by an act of con.
gress to buy our lands at a price
that no one would offer TO anybody
but an Indian, it looks rather tool
iSh on our part that We must
whoop up demonstration in tune
with the honor of the commission
and their s25, ,O0O.O0 of expense
money, If not with the pitiful sun
they are authorized to offer.
IFIfhD Il ~1 No%.As