The Russellville Democrat., 1891-08-20
BLACK SO0UNDREIS
aobbisx ths Poor Negro People in ths
 south.
A Boxus Land Scheme Reing worked
 The Rsd ntAn's Chanos.

Information has been received here by officials of the general land office that number of negro swindlers arc travelling through the country rob. ping ignorant negroes under the pre- tence of selling them homcsteads in Oklahoma. Two of these swindlers have been taking in North Texas ; two more have been working South ern Indiana, and the othcrs have been at 1t in Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas. They evidently travel in pairs, but their method of procedure is the same in all cases. They represent themselves as agents of the government, sent out by the government to induce colored rscSS..s .s .ake home steads in Oklshoma. In many in- stances they have received as high as $l00 from poor negroes, for which they received bogus deeds for home steads and town lots in Oklahoma territory. They were giyen what were called deeds for homestead of 160 acres and a corner lot in Lang ston City, which is negro settle- ment in Oklahoma territory.
 Of course the land office officials have no redress for these poor peo- ple. They merely advise them that the SO called government agents were notki1g more than swindiers and they should make efforts to have them arrested. Ever since the open ing of Oklahoma certain class of negro politicians have been going through the South trying to induce colored people to emigrate to Okla- homa for the purpose of capturing it as negro settlement and getting control of it's government. These emissaries have declared that Okla homa was mainly settled by Kansas Republicans, who would treat the negroes kindly, and that if they were in the majority they could rule Ok lahoma, eventually get it ad- mitted to statehood, and send negro senators to Washington. The efforts to colonize Oklahoma for political purposes have net been successful, and now the swindlers are trying to get in their work by selling bogus deeds to the ignorant members of their race and encouraging them to emigrate ill families and colonies to Oklahoma.
 It is thought that the headquarters of these swindlers is at Langston City, and that the work of s~indling Is conducted in systematic manner and directed by brace of sharpers located in Oklahoma. United States marshals throughout the South have been directed 10 keep an eye on them. and, if possible, to jug the swindlers.
 
 Horace Speed, United States dis trict attorney for Oklahoma, who is in Washington on official business, is an enthusiast on the subject of unit ing the Indian territory with Okla homa for the purpose of making 8 new state to be admitted into the union at the next session of congress. Mir. Speed thinks the Indians ought to have show, but bases his claim largely upon the great nlmber of whites whose interests are suffering under the present condition of affairs.
 "The territory occupied by the five civilized tribes-the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Greeks and Seminoles with Okla homa," says Mir. Speed, lis certainly ample for state, being in area one quarter larger than New York. In population it exceeds six of the present states of the Union. In the five tribes there are 10000 white people, who are there by sufferance, having no tribal connections, and 400, ,000 more of mixed blood, who approximate white SO nearly as to be classed as such. These latter enjoy the rights of citizenship, but the former do not, and their children are almost without the facilities of education. There are today twice as many white people in the civilized tribes as in Oklahoma, and more full blooded Indians ill Oklahoma than among the five tribes. Such 8 con- dition of things is far from satisfac- tory. Thousands of white intruders go among the Indians, and, to save themselves from election, either marry their young women or claim Indian descent. The people are liv- ing for the most part under code of laws framed for savsges, and the antiquatcd system ought to give place to one more in accord with the present era. There is great pros perity in Oklahoma and statehood is allthat is needed"
 A Wicked Parrot.