Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-04-24
TEE BURNT CHILD.

When the strip is sold it viii not
take long to find out what the peo-
pie want done with the money Al
mostevery person in the Cherokee
nation has already expressed a de-
cided opinion and It is unanimous
ly in favor of dividing the pro-
ceeds per capita among the people
Not only do they want it divided
at once. but they want il done by
representatives Of the party that
purchases the strip. They say
they do not want cur government
officials to handle the fJnds-it
costs the people too much. THE
burnt child fears the fire, I"
and in like manner the people are
afraid to let the money be paid in
10 the treasury to be disposed of by
council. And their fears are not
groundless. A great deal of mon
ey has gone into the treasury and
that Wss the last OF il, so far as the
people were concerned. From
1888 TO 1883 the company now oc-
cupying the strip paid a rental OF
five hundred thousand dollars, and
since then three hundred thousand
dollars. One per capita payment
of three hundred thousand dollars
has been been made and about one
hundred thousand spent in build
ing the new female seminary and
colored high school, and it is said
there is about three hundred thou
sand in the sub-treaSury at St.
Louis. Where is the rest Of it /?
Some of it was loaned to the
school fund, and some spent on
extra sessions. It has all been
spent some way or other; but how?
That is what all wish TO know.
Of course everybo dy knows why
council spent so much money in
extra sessions. 1t was TO get the
highest price for the lease. So
far, well and good. But il is a
strange fact that so long as there
is a surplus in the treasury, coun-
Gil always finds some reason for
holding extra sessions till the sur
plus is about gone. Whether the
reason is good or bad, the same is
reached-that is, they spend the
surplus. Now if council should
have the disposal of the funds,
again in case Of a sale of-the strip,
past experience teacnes that extra
sessions and extra long ones, too,
may Se expected. Councils mo-
tives for holding the sessions may
be the best in the world, but for
all that, that some motive will cost
the nation a big sumof money. The
people do not want council to be in
session so lopg-it costs too much.
But councils extrSvagance il not
the only reason for demanding a
direct per capita payment. In
1888 4 per capita payment was
made, and it cost the nation s22, =
500. At the expiration Of the
lease, the strip was leased for
three months, and it cost the na-
ton over 5000. Some say al
this was done legally; but whether
it was legal or not, it cost the na-
ton too much, and no man should
cast bis vote for an officer that is
so expensive to the country.
Then, too, that recent Greek trans
action where the Creeks paid such
an enormous fee to its agent for
making q bargain that could have
been made for nothing, that has its
effect upon the Cherokee voters;
and so it is; money by the hun
drsds Of thousands Of dollars is
put into the treasury, and like wa
ter poured upon the sandy deserts,
is never seen any more. The peo-
pie are dissatisfied with this mys-
terious disappearance of the na-
tons money and want all that
comes from the sale Of the strip
paid to them.