The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-05-21

ported by the more intelligent half-breed
Indians and white men who had become
citizens Of the Chickasaw Nation by inter-
marriage, and had a clear majority OF the
votes. Byrd was supported by the full
blood, pull-back element. The contest was
fierce, but Byrd got possession of the Office
and has held it ever since. Bitter feelings
were engendered between the two factions
In this contest, and before the next general
election the Byrd party absolutely disfran-
chised the intermarried citizens. This in
tenSified the hot blood. and is perhaps the
first instance in the history of any country
where class of citizens numbering nearly
half of the members of the community were
deprived of the right to vote solely because
of their superior intelligence.
NATURALLY enough, the intermarried citi-
zens and their allies, among the mere en-
ightened citizens by blood, lost respect for
the Chickasaw government, and since that
time they have disregarded the writs of the
Chlckasaw courts and defied Chickasaw au-
thorities generally. -Four years ago these
intermarrled citizens were about the only
farmers in this country. Since then they
have caused thousands of farms to be
opened up under leases to white men, the
leases running from three to ten years. At
least nine-tenths of the farms in the
up by the intermarried citizens and
their tenants, who have been at
tracted here by the rich, but forbidden
soil. There are, according to the last CEN
sus. 5000 whites and about twenty thou
sand Indians by blood in the Chickasaw
Nation. J, Since their Acknowledgement
a great many of the inter-married citi-
zeus have refused to procure for their ten
ants the annual permit tax of s. levied by
the Chickasaw Nation on the non-citizens
for the privilege of living herem
Are all the non-citizens called in
truders?"
NO; only the non-citizens whose land
lords have refused to procure permits for
them are called intruders. 1t is claimed
that the Indian authorities have furnished
the interior department with the names of
about six thousand United States citizens
who are here without permits, and it is
these the secretary Of the interior has COM
manded the Indian agent to eXpel from the
Chickasaw Nation"
why don't they get the permits them
selves instead of relying upon their land
lords?''
Because the Chickasaw laws forbid I'M
der heavy penalty the issuance OF permits
to any but citizens of the Chickasaw Nation,
and make it their duty to procure permits
for their pon-citizen tenants These in
citizens have openly charged the
permit collectors with swinding the Nation
out of the permit money, refused to procure
pCIluIIS iof luelF GSUdnlS anu nave uOne
all in their power to encourage the pon-citi-
zens in not getting permits. Their antipa-
thy to the Chickasaw government is at the
bottom of it, and in the trouble the Byrd
party Is now having about the permits they
are simply reaping some of the tares they
sowed when they DISTINGUISHED the better
class of their citizens.''
''Do you think the order directing the
Indian agent to eXpell the intruders will be
enforced"
i can't tell. The government, of course,
has the power to enforce it, but it would be
very unjust to these fceemen."