Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-03-06

THE OHIEF 5 LETTER.
A Manly Plea to the President for
Justice.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
CuKRoKkK NATION. lNp. TKn,,
fAufu1frt Eak u lgQ0

RApLEQUAu, Feb q. 1880
To His EXCEL ENcY, BENJAMIA
HARRISON, president Of the Unitec
States, Washington, d. c.: SIR
Having seen your procl amation oI
the 18th inst, stating that no more
cattle shall 60 upon the lands ol
the Cherokees west Of the Arkansas
river fol the purpose Of grazing, and
that the men and cattle from whom
the Cherokees have derived reve-
nue. for the support of their school;
and government must 60 fr ON said
lands, please allow me, as chiel
of the Cherokees, to approach you,
not as one Of your fellow citizens on
equal terms with yourself, but as a
native American born, on the soil
where floats your proud flag. On
a soil at that time owned by my
ancestors (the Cherokee Indians)
from time immemorial, who GER
tainly have some rights in COM
mon with other mankind, and who
have been taught like other races
that they have souls and are re-
sponsible for their conduct to the
law of God and man.
In this attitude, ! approach you,
as you might say, can alien, subject
entirely as it seems, only to your
will as a ruler Of a great nation,
ID this that you ee fit to deprive
the Cherokees Of the use of a piece
of property that they have been
taught is rightfully theirs. They
have been taught so from the fact
Of having been in peaceful and un.
disputed possession of it for the
last half century. They have been
taught SO by patent they have to
this possession, signed by Martin
Van Blren. president Of the Unit
ed States. They have always
looked upon this as very sacred
document. tits very beautiful
document, engraved with the flag
and coat Of arms of your great gov
ernment, with the proud eagle, the
emblem of American liberty at the
head OF it, under which stands
the Indian and white man shaking
hands of friendship and giving
their pledge and plighted faith.
When they shook hands over this
contract they used the word "for
ever" This beautiful patent em-
braces this tract Of land upon
which you say the COW shall Craze
no longer and the Cherokoes shall
no longer derive 100000 annually
received for this grazing privilege.
They have also been taught by the
supreme court, the highest tribunal
OF your government. that this
patent is good and that the land
is theirs. Now is this all a mis-
take? Have they lived this long
in this imaginary security ? Is this
a delusion? -? After coming to this
country over fifty years ago, endur.
ing all the privation and hardships
that a people could possibly en-
dure and giving up for the white
man their ancient home east of the
Mississippi river, thereby doubly
paying for this soil, are
they now to be told by one who
the Indian has been taught to call
bis "Great Father" that the
Cherokces can no longer use their
land, that this country must be
turned into a waste and that they
can no longer receive revenue
from this source Or will these
lands be turned over by you to the
despoiler just for the simple rea-
son that the white man says he
needs it, and all eyes and ears bo
turned away from the complaint
Of the Cherokees ?
In the face Of this proclamation,
Mr.. President, I, as chief of the
Cherokee people, am compelled
to ask these bitter questions. 1t
seems the Indian has no place to
60 FOR protection and l only ask
what shall be their fate What
next? When win it be demanded
that they depart from these lands z
The missionaries have taught
the Cherokecs that God ia a just
God and that He is their God and
viii protect them. They only
hope and pray that He will, for in
the face Of what they see it will
ultimately take some unseen pow
er 10 shield them from the danger
that threatens them, where one
man in Ibis boasted land Of liberty,
San thus, hy an ofdes or edict de
prise apeo9le Of the use Of their
You say Is pf3ujioial to The