Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-06-12
SAFETY IN THE 1866 TREATY,
And There Only, Thinks Uncle
Joe Martin.
NAurrx's VALLEY. June ls0o.

MkUTIN's FALLEr. June !, le91-
EDITOR CHIEFrAIx:-It is worse
than nonsense TO look 20 our na-
tional council for relief in this awful
monopoly of public domain We
have been for years electing the
right men to do the wish and will
of the people and for the most
good for the most people, but
when we get our men in the legis-
lative body and hope and pray
that they will enact such laws as
will protect the people from this
food of Texas cattle and this land
monopoly, are from year to year
sadly disappointed in our leg
islators. The same old song, the
two parties pulling against each
ether, acting contrary. one house
with the other and leaving the
good of the nation and the welfare
of their constituents behind.
They seem to think that to come
home and tell US il was the other
fellow tina: was the cause Of
failure, should be sufficient excuse
for them. Both sides tell the
same yarn, and this food and
monopoly takes fresh root upon
such legislation as we have and
spreads itself wider and sinks its
plows deeper and gets a frmer
hold on the land, until now you
can 90 out On our wide prairies
and stand and count houses by the
score and turned up sod by the
thousands of acres and drOves and
herds of cattle, horses, sheep,
goats, hogs and white children.
No Indian-no fullblood Indian
few half breeds. Can we stop this
raid by legislation ? No, that IS,
not by our legislation; not by our
way of doing,business; by our hon
orable legislative body. We have
looked for relief from that body
iong enough TO know fer certain
that relief will not come that way.
Then the question comes. is there
no help, no way to stop this awful
wrong that is being heaped upon
us and crushing the very life out
of Us? Where will we go for help ?
Echo in this predicament don't
say "where," but the treaty of
1866 does say where. See article
20, treaty of 1866: when ever
the Cherokee national council
shall request it, the secretary of
the interior shall cause the cOun-
try reserved for the Cherokees to
be surveyed and allotted among
them at the expense of the United
States" Why was this article in
serted, may be asked. Because
the men who made the treaty,
both on the part Of the Cherokee
nation and the government Of the
United States, were men who were
statesmen; smart enough to see
that such a time would surely
come; and they in their wisdom
opened this road, opened up this
way by which we conld get out of
this trouble as they foresaw would
overtake this nation. Now do We
see the wisdom of those men to
prepare a way for us to make our
escape when We are about to sink.
1t is not drowning man catch
ing at straws" at all, but ~ is 4
cable long and strong that our na-
ton can pull out by, and every
man, woman and child can sit
down on their own land and pat
their foot and be happy. Shall
we welter and sweat, founder and
struggle any longer under the
pressure ? We have spent what
money we have on hand. Shall
We keep on in this way and spend
all the money the nation can get,
in the useless effort 10 preserve
our nationality, to stay and re-
main as n nation, when the past
and present shows us plain as the
sun at high noon that we cannot
remain a nation IS We are2
and now have we as 4 nation,
come to the 20th article ofthe trea-
ty of 1852 If We, the people Of
this, the Cherokee nation, viii
take a common sense view Of our
as I nation and that we
are entirely pOwerless to extricate
our nation or throw off this pow
erful people that are holding us
down, we are compelled by all
these shOwings that we as a nation
have come 10 the 20th article Of