Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-06-18
A wnLL.wnrrruN LETTER
Reoounting the Result of Existing
Legislation.

Ato ulBOi NdiOS tdhiOb w ONCA-
estimated in il is wrapped up the
future happiness and prosperity Of
our people. There s no Disgusting
this fact. Then lei, us lay aside
our prejudices, our passions, and
examine our laws upon this sub
ject, and see if we cannot demon
strate that they have been the
cause of the monopoly ofour public
domain.
They were enacted twenty-five
or thirty years ago, when we had a
public domain of between 1900, =
600 and 100000 acres of land
There was no thought of monopoly
then, and hence they put no limit
upon our greed or covetousness.
Any citizen could go on the public
domain and fence up as much as he
saw proper, and still hold quarter
on the outside of his premises. AT
the time of its enactment it was a
harmless law. Our country was
then sparsely settled by a popula-
ton that was small and neither
greedy nor land-hungry. Little
attention was paid to agriculture or
stock raising. There was no de-
mand for land for these purposes.
Our broad and beautiful prairies
waved in luxuriance that perfumed
the "desert air"-that were neither
cut, mown, grazed on, nor utilized
in any way except to furnish fuel
for the flames. There was no
thought of sectionizing our country
then; it was to remain common
property as long as graIs grew and
water ran. But this condition of
things has long since ceased to exist.
Our public domain has been largely
reduced in area, while large acces-
sions have been made from time to
time to our population that were Of
more enterprising, grasping turn
Of mind. They saw the defects in
our laws and the opportunities they
afioi ded to become land and cattle
barons. No change was made in
our laws regulating settlement on
the public domain to meet this
change of condition in our popula-
ton and circumstances and what
was once a harmless law, suited to
our condition and circumstan ces,
has well nigh proved our ruin.
Under it our public domain has
been monopolized by our wealthy
citizens without. a single check or
hindrance. They have allotted the
county to suit themselves, and in
a manner that if not changed, will
in the near future leave the greater
part of our population homeless at
home.
Mary of the full-bloods, with
our women and children, have not
selected their homes from the pub.
lie domcin for want of means and
the ability TO do it, while many Of
our more fortunate citizens have as
many as twenty or thirty claims
made by non citizens, without any
cost to themselves, except the use
of the land for a term of years.
Is this right2 Is it just? You
know it is not. Yet this is our
system of allotment made under
and in conformity to law, by which
the wealthy can do their own allot-
ting and override and rob the
weaker elements Of our society that
are unable to protect themselves,
viz, our women and our children.
And yet we are opposed to allot-
ment-opposed to sectionizing our
country. We are so prejudiced
against it that We can't talk about
it without becoming enraged, while
at the very same time we are blind
to the fact that we have the very
worst system of allotment the world
ever saw; a system legalized by
which every man may do his own al
lotting to suit himself, without re-
gard to the rights of his fellow man;
a sytem that robs the widow and the
orphan, the lame, the halt and the
blind, without regard to race. color
or previous condition. No atten-
ton has been paid to the monopoly
going on under this law by any de-
partment Of our government.
1t is true we have a law that
forbids our citizens TO either rent
or.lease to non-citizens, but all of
our officials are guilty of the Of
fense, hence no attention is paid
to the execution Of the law, with
no action on the part of our officials
to prevent it; but with much to
ehc0uFage-iiit, monopoly has ad=
yanced with such bold and rapid
strides that there is little left to
monopolize. The chief in his mes
sage on one or two occasions
called the attention Of the council
TO this subject, but beyond this no
attention has been paid to il.
The council took no action upon
it for the reason that they were
the very men engaged in this mo.
nopoly. Their self.inteTest and
selfish greed would not allow ,hem
to take hold Of this subject1and
enact law that would deal out
even and exact justice to all alike,
without regard to rich or po5r.
They had taken advantage of cur
/ law, that should have been repeabd
twenty years ago, TO do their own
allotting, and they did not propo,e
TO do it over, no matter what IL
justice may have been done tC
their fellow-citizens by such allot
ment. They had got the lion'i
share and they proposed to hold OF
to il. They had laid the foundp
lion Of a bio fortnne Mht