The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-03-08

for all the rights, title, interest and claim
they may have to certain lands ceded nv
the treaty of 1866. The Muskopee and
Creek Indians have also disposed of their
claims; out the Cherokees are holding on
to their lands, and the government COM
missioners, for which the Indian appropria-
ton bill provides, and who will be author
lied to propose to the Cherokee nation the
same terms of payment as those given to
the Greek nation for their lands. are very
| likely to fail in their negotiations. During
the consideration of the Indian appropria-
ton bill, delegation from the Cherokee
nation had a hearing, and there was little
disposition manifestedTto dispose of their
inheritance. J. B. MAYEs, principal chief
Of the Cherokee Nation, was the leading
speaker In the course of his protest
against the action of the government he
said
The Cherollees have become somewhat
alarmed. We are here before you to protest
| against any action on your part to extend your
territorial 1urlsdlctlon over any portion of Our
country. The country that you propose to take
west OF the Arkansas river the Cherokees absc-
lutey claim II as their property: claim the right
to use il the same as any other people claim the
] Z
| estly and honestly protest against the eXtens ion
of your territorial lines over that country We
refer you TO the treaties in which you have
| solemnly agreed not to extend your territorial
rights over us without our consent You have
agreed not to extend territorial lines over our
| country in any case without the consent of the
! CherokeeS. 1t seems to me, before you take any
action in this matter, that you should consult US
| at least with regard to it. We have never been
! consulted it is n surprise to our people 1t
seems to me- that if you want to buy our terri
] Wit Nrp 10
| be consulted about it.
Further on in the investigation it was
shown that by renting the lands to cattle
men, the Cherokee nation received a rev
enue of 500, 900. $4,000 of which was ex-
pended the past year in the erection of a
female seminary, and it has been largely
used for school purposes, though it is also
used for general purposes.
| DFurther on in the hearing given to Chief
MAYEs the following occurred.
The Chairman. This $4,000 is an income to
| YOUR government:
Mr. MAYES. Yes, sir. 1t is national revenue
-S2DO l0--and if YOU should cut us of from
pen. We would have to stop our schools. We
| have got to do something about ii. We do not
want to sell you that land, now, can tell you
| that.
The Chairman. Suppose we want TO buy itg
Mr.. MAYES. Well it takes two to make a
! bargain. One man cannot make a trade all by
himself.
Senator BUTLER. Unless he does il by force.
Mr. MAYES Well. if IL comes TO that Of
course l shall have TO give up. We are not able
to fight YOU If we were We would not let you
take the land.
| senator STEWART Do you object to having
the laws and government Of tine United States
| extended over that section:
| Mr. MAYES. Yes, sir: we object TO it posi-
lively.
Senator STEWART. You think it would be
more beneficial to you TO have it kept as pasture,
do you:
Mr. MAYEs Just to have you let it alone;
| keep YOUR hands OH OF it.
Senator STEWART Suppose YOU get the 500
! 900. That is all you now get, Is it not:
| Mr.. MAYES We may get more. We are
willing TO risk all those things if you let US
| alone.
Senator STEWART. You want to keep this
! place without government:
| Mr.. MAYES. Well, we have government
| over it, We can manage that part OF it easily
enough think that whenever you do that you
will violate of the sacred obligations of your
government. You certainly will.
From the spirit manifested by this talk,
it is safe to predict that for the present
il will not be easy to obtain the lands so
much coveted; and the settlement of that
part of Oklahoma in the hands of the
Cherokees may be postponed for awhile,
but the cunning and rapacity of the white
man will in the end, we have no doubt,
prove too much for the present deter min
alton of the Cherokees.