Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-08-27

land east Of 90o was equally di.
vidod among all Cherokee citizens
there would not be sixty-six1 acres
for each one. This calculation is
made upon the assumption that one
third Of the Cherokee country east
of 96o is good, arabic land, suit
able for farming purposes. The
truth is, in our opinion. not one
fifth Of the country would be Sc
lected by white men tor homesteads
if they were given the. chance to
select from II. The remainder is
rocky barren and fit for nothing
but grazing purposes, and tor that
only for a few years. But making
any possible allowance, let us say
one-third Of the FIVE million acres
east Of 800 is fit for homestead set
tlement. There are %, 600 citizens
Of the Cherokee Nation. One
third of the FIVE million acres con-
stituting the Cherokee country
east of 96o is one million, six hun.
dred and sixty-six thousand, six
hundred and sixty-six acres. Di-
vide this number by the number of
our citizens (25, ,000) and the share
of each would be between sixty
six aud sixty-seven acres.
Before the Neutral land was
sold the share Of land that would
have belonged to each citizen of
the Cherokee Nation, had the
country then been divided equally,
would have been nine hundred and
fiity-eight acres, including three
hundred and nineteen acres OF
land fit for homestead settlement,
according to the one.third proper.
tion of good land that We have
made the basis of our calculations.
After the Neutral land was sold
and the Kansas Strip, and also
tracts sold to the 0sages, Pom
cas-, Pawnees, Otoes and Misssou-
rias and Nez Perces, the share of
each citizen of the nation would
have been six hundred and fifty-one
acres Of land-good, bad and in
dlflerent-one-third of which would
have given two hundred and seven
teen acres of good farming land to
each citizen for his homestead.
But if the nation sells the re-
mainder of The Outlet (so-called) to
the U. s., there will be left only
the five million of acres east of
500, which if divided equally
among all citizens, will give to
each, two hundred acres Of land
good, bad and indifierent-and
only sixty-six acres of land fit for
homestead purposes as said above.
And the sixty-six acre share i
dwindling and diminishing every
day under the operation of inter-
marriage and readmission to citi-
zenship. Taking out the good land
monopolized by comparatively a
few citizens, 1t is doubtful whether
the majority of Cherokee citizens
have five acres apiece for each ones
share of good land.
While all this has been going on
the domain rapidly diminishing,
while the population has been as
rapidly increasing-we have had a
terrible to do electing officers, who
have been content with drawing
their salaries and doing nothing
whatever TO stop advancing ruin,
for it must all end in ruin, unless
something be done and done quick
ly. AS it is, we see from the above
calculation that the share of a sin
gle citizen in 1910 had decreased
from nearly one thousand acres to
barely two hundred in 1891; and
of this two hundred acres left, only
sixty-six acres is worth anything
for homestead purposes, and the
greater part of that amount, in the
case OF the great majority of citi-
zens, has been gobbled up by mo-
nopolists until our women and
children, at least two-thirds of our
population, have absolutely no land
at All but the sterile, barren tracts
that the monopollsts nave dlsdaln-
ed to snatch.
Think Of these facts, o, Chero.
KEGS and try to make some provis-
ion for the little ones who will
constitute the next generation Of
Cherokees, while you are talking
of selling more than half Of your
and their country.-Tahlequah Tel
ephone.