Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-08
a Tempest In n Teapot.
Special 10 the Gazette.


ARDMoRE, l. t. May Am interview
had by a Globe-Democrat reporter with
| Agent Bennett, while that official was ell
route home from Washington, has excited
considerable excitement in the Chickasaw
Nation. and the evident ignorance and pre-
sumption of Bennett is regarded Us ridicu-
louS, did it not threaten something serious.
Agent Bennett ought to come over 70 the
Chickasaw Nation once or twice year and
post up on the situation. II is sup
posed here, and this st. Louis interview
bears out the assumption that the agent
went to Washington as an emissary Of the
Chickasaws to persuade the department to
help the tribal government collect its per-
nit tax Without investigating the true
status of the permit question III the Ma
ton, hearing only the grossly exagger-
ated complaints of the Tishomingo
ring. it is believed Agent Bennett
has played into the hands of the element
hostile to the whites and progress in the
Indian country. The assertions OF Ben
nett convey the impression that the non
citizens are usurping the Indians in their
lands, and virtually defying the tribal gov
ernInent.
While il is true that there are fifteen
non-citiZers in the Chickasaw Nation to two
citizens, these whites are here as tenants of
the Indians, cultivating their lands under
contracts, affording the injured Lo an OPP
pOfIUnllS 10 wax rlCI lazy ana SauCy- me
Indian landlord, if he is law-abiding, will
procure permits for his tenants, and if he
does not the tribal government should en-
force its laws over its own citizens. If the
citizens would respect their own permit law
this talk of 'intruders' would have much
needed rest. The fact is that
many citizens ''have it in for the tribal
authorities and take especial delight in en-
couraging the non-payment of permits,
holding that it is Just so much more fat
for the boodlers. So long as this state OF
affairs continues the non-citizen will get all
the abuse and condemn alton, simply be-
cause he has the misfortune to be a white
man on sacred Indian soil.
Agent Bennett states that within the
past few months he has had all he could do
to prevent an instruction in the Chicka-
saw Nation. The $1,000 non-citizens here
have been blissfully ignorant OF even Il
vague suspicion that they were sleeping
over powder magazine. II there, was any
Instruction brewing it was an Indian one.
Agent Bennett states that he will not be
able to take the field in the Intruder" war
before the roses bloom in June, and that he
will be assisted by company OF artillery.
Ye gods We can imagine the gallant
agent chasing few poverty piDched BOOM
ers across Red river vt the yawn-
ing mouth of the cannon. The
soldiers of Uncle Sam, fresh from
the great SIOUX war, crowned Win the
laurels of victory. will next eXternlinate
their countrymen instead of the starving
ghost-dancers of Dakota.
If Agent Bennett starts any cannonading
in this country, he will awake to sudden
realization of the fact that the frolicsome
Sioux can't hold candle to evicted, des-
perate American citizens, when it comes to
manipulating the Winchester
But after all, this is only tempest in a
tpa-pOf - hroyyad Sirnnlv shower nom
citizen shellels int the Golfers of the Indian
government