The Torchlight appeal., 1890-01-17
THE CHEROKEE OUTLET.
INCIDENTS AND PROMINENT MEN
IN CHEROKEE HISTORY.
The Latest Phase of the So Called "Cher-
okee Question" 1t Has Come Up nj
Regular Intervals for Over a Century.
with Continuous Changes.

The opening of Oklahoma, and the move
ment to buy the so called Cherokee outlet
have brought the Cherokees once more be-
fore the country, and there is the usual di-
vision of part s among the Indans-one for
giving up their peculiar organization, divid-
ang their lands in severalty and becoming
ordinary American citizens; the other for
nniting all the civilized tribes into one Ma
tson" and maintaining their comparative iso-
aation little longer.
The most conservative, however, admit
that Glands in seyeralty" and citizenship must
eventually come-''it is but a question OF
time," they say. "but we do not want to be
pushed; give us time to prepare for it," And
the most radical admit that the conserva vatives
are doing much to prepare; schools, churches
and newspapers are fairly abundant, and the
progress of the Cherokees in education and
property is quite encouraging Bnt. say the
conservatives, il we cease to hold land in
common, assign farm to each family and
allow white men TO settle on the rest, the
poorer class Of Indians will soon lose their
farms, 'contriving white men will get most
of the land, and as soon as they have ma
.jority in the new state they will oppress sis in
. thousand ways by petty exactions and in-
tricate laws. Give us more time"
And this has been the plea of the Cherokees
since 1856, when they made their first treaty
with the new American republic. At the
close Of the revolutionary war a large num-
ber Of those people in North and South Caro-
alma who We're stigmatized as Tories, but arc
snore politely referred to in British history as
United Empire Loyalists," crossed tho
mountains and located among the Cherokees.
They were men of ability and good character,
largely Scotch i'll blood aud Presbyterian in
religion; they set up looms, mills schools and
churches in Cherokee Georgia" and with
their aid the already progressive Cherokees
progressed 50 rapidly that by 1903 they had a
solerably we'll organized government, with
written laws. May 6, 1917, delegates from
fifty -four towns convened, and written
constitution was adopted. Ever since the
.Cherokees have been nation"
The white man pressed upon them and
they began to move westward. Then came
that remarkable national debate in which
congressman argued long about the national
rights of the Cherokees, orators depicted
their wrongs and poets sang Of their primi-
tive virtues. 1t ended in the expulsion of all
the tribe from Georgia and adjacent states,
and in 1899 they reorganized their nation in
the Indian territory. From the Tennessee in
Carolina to the Tennessee In Alabama the
local names testify of their former presence
'Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Etowah and
Connesauga, Kenesaw and Oostenaula. Since
their first treaty with the United States after
the constitution was adopted-it bears the
honored signature of George Washington
they have ceded $1,000 900 acres of land and
have but 7,OO0, 900 left Yet the clamorous
cry Of the white man is for ''moreH'
In 1860 the IL, 600 Cherokees formed, per
,haps the richest rural community in the
United States. 1t was estimated that their 1
live stock at current rates, would have
amounted to SIT 900 for each family. Their
invested funds for their lands returned an in
come sufficient for schools and colleges. The
war left them with nothing but the bare
land. Their stock had been driven into Kansas
and Texas 'jayhawked," ''conhscated," if Z
you pleaSe-and as the ma iority went with tb<l Z