Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-08-28
NOT YET.
Air. Trott thinks the People are
not yet ready for Allotm ent.
c. V. ROGERS.

h4loAiArllN VI b1A A-tAAAe sAaA'h III ~
say through your columns: 1st, I
do not believe a majority of our
people would favor allotment;
2nd. the man who cries the loudest
for a sale of land west and allot-
ment of this, is generally the man
who IS the farthest from ex-
planning to you how it can be
done. In many cases he has been
scared to believe it is the only
salvation for him, perhaps by
some man that Is termed 4 "sore-
head" wanting TO create strife and
division among the people, seek
ing to be exalted himself. Or he
10 man with an "eye like an
eagle" with his merchandise
ready TO gather the spoils. The
most numerous Of these three
classes is the man who is scared.
He is honest in his convictions.
Why deceive him2 1t is well
known that 2 plan cannot be map
ped out whereby We can aliot our
lands at present. Some say the
claimants and intruders are ruin
ing US and we cannot get rid of
them. Let me ask why? They
say, Because the government of
the U. S. protects them and will
not allow them TO be removed" "
Then do we suppose for a moment
that the government would any
more allow US 10 allot and leave
them out than they will allow them
removed. Certainly not. Then
your allotment issue must give
way when you see you cannot
carry it into effect. The crowd
that is CRYING out for 4 sale OF our
lands west of 96 and allotment of
this, and trying to make a political
issue of Il, could no more have II
done than those Shawnees did who
applied to Washington a short
time ago TO have their lands set
apart to them. No; the status Of
every citizen in this nation must
be established before we could or
would be allowed to allot. or before
we could make a payment OF our
moneys that would meet the ap-
proval of the government, provided
we did sell our landed interests
west.
We believe our interests are be-
ing well guarded By our officials
and that these things will all work
out satisfactorily TO the people
We yet have our lands west, not
withstanding many Of our people
were scared into the belief that
they would have been gone from
Us long ago. It is a well known
fact that there were men through
out this country crying out to sell
them for one dollar and twenty
FIVE cents per acre and less, CT we
would lose them. While such
men as ex-Secretary Teller, ingalls,
Of Kansas and others stood in the
senate halls of the United States
claiming that the title to these
lands was in the Cherokees, and
that they were worth from five TO
ten dollars per acre and If the
wanted them ;t should
paw the Cherokees the worth Of
them. Many of these things have
been brought about by our Own ac-
tons. We have, ever since the
war Of the rebellion, thrown our
doors open to the outside world
and invited them TO come, and Of
ferred a premium for Cherokee
blood. Many have come at our
and they have since
been decided against by our courts,
leaving them in many cases, with
all they have invested in improve
ments on the public domain, with
their cries going up continuously.
The government is slow TO move
against them, even though the
attorney general has decided and
il has been approved by the su-
preme court of the United States
that we have u right 10 decide who
our citizens are. The case of the
and Delawares is now
in the hands Of the supreme court
of the United States. The next
man is the colOred citizen. We
well know that the government
viii never lose sight of his interest
and it looks as though these things
are being brought about and that
justice and equity will prevail ere
long.
| would favor sCcii0nizing Ou<
land. Run il of into sections
ourselves in order 10 get our farms
square with the world, and TO reg
ulate our public roads. Then pass
some laws TO regulate the monOp-
olizing Of our public domain either
hv farming leasing. stock, or