Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-02-12
The Rights in the Case.

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tongue or people on Gods greer
earth that have an undoubteC
right to the country and all it,
benefits, that people certainly are
the Cherokees. They have pur
chased those lands with othei
lands and the blood and tears o.
their forefathers. When the pale
faces first came to the shores o.
Georgia they found the Cherokees
in possession of the country, where
perhaps they had resided for O
thousand years. Here they had
reared their wigwams, raised their
families and buried their dead; II
was their home. The advent oi
the pale faces was revelation and
the Cherokees lonyed for the
higher civilization which they saw
and began to make improvements;
they began to use domestic ami
mails, build houses, fence fields
and tend them, to clothe and edu-
cate themselves. They became
civilized and were happy and
contented people. They only
asked to be recognized ss human
and be allowed TO become citizens
ot the great country that boa sted
of its justice and freedom. But
the people Justice p locking
through avaricious specs almost
if not entirely, said "the Indians
have no rights which the white
man is bound to respect, therefore
we want your land" The Chero-
KEGS answered, 1--WE have no lands
to dispose of: these are our homes
and the graves of our foreiathers
are here; they are sacred to us;
besides, we have no place TO go If
we give up our lands" Then the
white man came with the big In
dian Territory (Which was thought
to be worthless) on the point of a
bayonet and offered them a trade
which, ;.uier the 1iI ou... ste >ses, 1t
was decided TO be the better part
of valor to accept. Then, the
Cherokees being a little slow TO
move, the white men came with
their bayonets and drove the
Cherokees like sheep TO this then
wild country to begin life and civ
ilization anew. Here, surrounded
by wild and savage men, almost
deprived of commerce and with
greatly limited advantages of edu-
cation the Cherokees survived and
their present civilization under
the circumstances is to my mind
one of the proudest movements up
on Gods footstool. After paying
such a price for the lands the man
who would deprive them of any OF
them or any OF the benefits to be
derived therefrom, is certainly
more animal than man.
Now let US take another look:
The same avaricious greed that de-
prived the Cherokees OF their
homes has all the time been de-
priving white men of their homes,
and one by one they have been
driven westward, taking up homes
and then being driven onward
again by those who iE their turn
shall follow them and this lmmigra-
ton has made the once uselesslands
of the Cheiokees valuable, and the
white man in search of adventure
or lately in search of place where
he may rear and feed his family,
has found his way into this nation.
The white farmer and laborer fells
the forest tree and builds the hand
some dwelling house and the rude
hut, and generally occupies the
latter; he opens up the farm and
tills the soil; is the "hewer OF
wood and the drawer Of water" is
the emphatic wealth producer OF
The land and from this labor there
is ceaseless stream of wealth in
the shape Of houses and fields and
rent, forever flowing into the
hands Of the Chsrokees, 1--WE are
not now discussing the proper dis
tribution of this wealthy and the
question naturally arises-have
the white men any rights that the
In dian is bound to respect =? or, to
put the matter in a different shape,
have the white men any rights that
it is policy for the Indian to re-
spect.
Let US see: In their first en-
deavor to compromise with the
white men and become citizens the
Cherokees met with disastrous re-
suits; 80 when they set up their
empire in the west, by treaty
stipulation ard legal enactment
they endeavored TO retain every
right and principle for their own
people, and yet to utilize their do
main and make il profitable, they
find II necessary 10 introduce
some manner Of wealth producer.
So they have barred up the high
road OF prosperity and endeavoTed
10 run their own people in by a side
ioor 10 free entertainment,
while the stranger is expected TO
20 TO the back door 70 take a kind
II cold "hand-out." Now in or
Ter to protect their side door they
rave been compelled 10 add law
ipon law, and additional red tape,
Until the Cherokee finds he is
lardly able TO enter the feast until
more than half Of them are found /
i the back door and the fayCyed
ew who dress in purple and fnc