Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-06-18
A wnL1 wnErrnN LnrrnR
Rocountina tho Result OF Existing
Legislation.

) taken upon the subject Of allot
ment. Upon this subject hangs th,
weal or woe Of the Cherokee people
It's importance cannot be over
estimated ia il is wrapped up th'
future happiness and prosperity 0
our people. There is no Disgusting
this fact. Then let us lay aside
our pIejudices, our passions, anC
examine our laws upon this sub
ject, and see If we cannot demon
strate that they have been th,
cause Of the monopoly -four public
| domain.
They were enacted twenty five
or thirty years ago, when we had a
public domain OF between 1900,
1 600 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 60 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 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 perfumcd
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
afforded to become land and cattle
barons. No change was made in
our laws regulating settlement on
the public domain to meet this
change oi condition in our popula-
ton and circumstances and what
was once a harmless law, suited to
our condition and circumstances
has well nigh proved cur ruin
Under it our public domain has
been monopolized by our wealthy
citizens without a single check or
hindrance. They have allotted the
country 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.
Many of the full bloods, with
our women and children, have not
selected their homes from the pub.
lie domain 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- I
ting and override and rob the /
weaker elements Of our society that
are unable to protect themselves,
viz, our women and our children. I
And yet we are opposed to allot- /
ment-opposed to sectionizing our /
country. We are so preiudiced .
against it that we can't talk about .
it without becoming enraged, while (
at the very same time we are blind 4
to the fact that we have the very
worst system of allotment the world .
ever saw q 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 underthis law by any de-
partment of our government.
1t is true we have a law that
'orbids our citizens to either rent
Or lease to non-citizens, but all of
our officials are guilty of the Of
'ense, hence no attention is paid
10 the execution Of the law, with
40 action on the part of our officials
o prevent it but with much to
encourage it, monopoly has adj
fanced with such bold and rapid
strides that there is little left to
nonopolize. The chief in his mes
age on one or two occasions
allied the attention of the council
o this subject, but beyond this no
attention has been paid to it,
The council took no action upon
{ for the reason that they were
he very men engaged in this mo-
iopOly. Their selfinterest and
elfish greed would not allow them
o take hold of this subject and
nact a law that would deal out
ven and exact justice to all alike,
Without regard to rich or poor.
'hey had taken advantage Of our
aw, that should have been repealed i
wenty years ago, to do their own I
llotting, and they did not propose
0 do it over, no matter what in.
astice may have been done to
heir fellow citizens by such allot- /
aent. They had got the lions {
hare and they proposed to hold on {
o it. They had laid the founda-
ion Of a big fortune when the s
'herokee government should have
assed away.
n,,f ,,.,.... 49,. III -. ....~I.