Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-07-16

ever, il may be the policy which
makes IL possible for one man TO
own unlimited quantities of land.
How many Indians who have been
less provdent than these gentle
men who have been shrewd
enough to fence up thousands of
acres in one farm, and whose claim
extends n quarter of a mile in
width around the already mann
moth estate, are ekeing out n mis-
erab'e existence upon some barren
homestead, or, worse still, are liv-
ing by s,lfferance. as day laborers
on these large estates, although
they own their tribal share of
these lands, which they are too
poor, weak and powerless to secure
or demand. | have no document
airy statistics from which can
form an accurate idea of the proper
tion Of population in the several
nations who are hireling day labor
ers, but | haye been creditably in
formed by very intelligent resident
citizens that the ratio of this class
in the Cherokee nation, including
those who cultivate less than five
acres, is one-sixth; among the
Choctaws, Chickasaws and Creek $,
about one.fourth, and that among
the Seminoles the ratio is even
larger; so it is clear that a larger
part of the population in each of
these nations are held down below
the common level of their own
race by stress OF poverty and the
weight of daily necessities, unable
by reason Of present misfortunes
to avail themselves of any oppor-
tunity or means to possess them
selves Of their equal distributive
shares Of land and to so utilize
them as to place their families
, upon a higher social and financial
5 plane, needs some potent influence
3 or power to dispel this system and
establish a new order of things.
In q word, to raise the down
l trodden people to their proper
r level
! Mr.. Oberly, in his concluding
? remarks as to what is best for the
Indians holding lands in common,
has this to say: "He must be taken
out of the reservation through the
door of the general allotment act,
5 and he must be imbued with the
exalting egotism of American civil
lization, so that he will say
instead of we, and this is mine in.
stead of this is ours, but if he will
not learn, if he shall continue to
persist in saying, | am content, let
me alone, then the guardian must
act for the ward and do for him
the good service he protests shall
not be done, the good service that
he denounces as a bad service; the
government must then, in duty to
the public, compel the Indian to
come out of isolation INTO the
civilized way that he does not de-
sire to enter, into citizenship, into
assimilation with the masses of
the republic, into the path OF
national duty, and in passing along
that path he will find not only
pleasure in personal independence
and delight in individual effort in
his own interest, but also the con-
! summation of that patriotic enjoy.
ment which is always to be found
in the exercise of the high privilege
Of contributing to the general well
fare"
As the people can see what |
have written is not overdrawn, the
present situation demands a q eater
change than what may be expected
from a majority of those who are
about to contend for office at the
election next month. II is to be
hoped that by that time those who
are interested in raising domestic
cattle will at least know how to
vote. think can predict what
will be the result. 1t looks to me
that Mr. Halsells speech at Chel.
, sea, defending Mr.. Mayes as not
= caving anything to do with the
how law, for, as | am informed,
= Mr.. Halsell shoulders the whole
} responsibility by buying up coun-
ell and having such control of
same that even had the chief un-
dertook to veto the bill Mr. Hal
sell would have had it passed over
his veto by all the majority re-
quired. This a double or two.fold
illustration. First, it shows the
influence Of wealth. Second, it
shows the deprayity and rotten
ness of our public servants, who
have sworn to guard and protect
the interests Of the people. This
affair causes me TO think of how
3 Mr.. Burchard, in an over Jealous
display OF eloquence in New York
city, in 1885, when speaking on
e behalf of his friend, Mr.. James
g Blaine, he (Burchard) made tho
, ALTERATION Of the three RS, that
D is, Rum, Romanism and Rebellion,
J, 90 the democratic party, which re-
T suited in Blainc's defeat anil cleo
: ed Cleveland.
j II now remains to be seen what
effect the Chelsea speech will have
! on the old crew For my part,
a have long ago made up my mind
G to vote for not one Of the diaboli
T cal gang Of frauds and corruption-
y lists. Yours fraternally,
G Tow HOWE.
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d ALLIANCE POLITICS.
. CLAHEMoHE, I. T July, 30, lsll.
i EDITOR CHIEFTAIN:-Allow m,