Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-02-26
Seems to LIKE Not The ohlef.


Seems to Like Not The Ohief.
Mr.. EDIToR:-Chief Mayes in
his answer 10 the farmers petition
for a reconsideration Of the COW
law fails entirely to meet the is
sues presented and refuses fatty
10 make any effort TO relieve the
cattle raisers--the small farmers
Of this nation and with one sweep
Of his pen he satisfactorily (to
himsslf) disposes Of the charge
made that the law is "class legis.
lation." There is no question but
that tho cattle king, including
Brother SAM" for whose sole
benefit he seems to DO running this
government, will accept this an.
swer with a whoop. We poor
devils with our wives aud children
VINO make up nine-tenths Of the
population and without whom
there would be no Cherokee nation
see II otherwise, but must see the
main stay Of our business 20 10
destruction in order to give these
pets of the chief a chance to grow
rich. He may be right in his in.
depreciation OF the law, for IL 10
claimed for him by his friends that
he is smart. This much was said
of him more than fifteen years ago
when, as a judge on the bench. he
ruled out a transcript Of the record
of the supreme court as incompe-
tent testimony In a case that he
was trying, and contemporaneous
history shows conclusively that he
keeps an eye on the "main
chance" by putting his family in
all Of the fat places at his disposal.
But the poor farmer, uneducated
in the law, can only take the words
as they appear and interpret them
into the usual and ordinary mean
ing in which they are used. Now,
il east of the Arkansas river means
south of the Arkansas river the
chief has got us and Canadian dis
trict is not affected differently from
the other eight districts and the
people Of Canadian must bow TO
the COW kings as We do. Answer.
ing the complaint as to the exten-
sion of the time for importing cat
tie, he freely admits that he was
ignorant in tho matter but
having consulted the COW kings he
became satisfied that it would not
hurt them and signed the bill
whereby il became a law, practi-
cally placing the cattle trade Of the
Cherokee nation in the shands of
less than twenty men, citizens OF
this nation. Talk about Bob
OWENS coal oil lease being a mo-
nopoly, then what combination of
Latin or Greek would you get to-
gether to name this.
Mr.. Mayes as a cider maker and
small cattle raiser might be justi-
fed in risking his four or fine hun
dred cattle grown on his farm in a
venture of this kind but Mr.. Mayes
as chief magistrate Of this people
forgets his oath and loses sight of
the sacred trusts imposed in him
when he jeopardiIes the personal
interests Of the poor men of the
Cherokee nation as is done in the
COW law. The COW kings could
we'll afford to make him whole if
be lost every hoof of his boasted
four or five hundred cattle that
have grown on his farm. He
loses his dignity and descends
from his high estate and becomes
a shystering special pleader when
he proposes TO fortify his position
aud excuse his action, when he
refers to tho great expense Of the
Mcclellan and Audrain cattle
cases, and the expense of the old
law. He says the law cost the
nation $4,000. Well, suppose it
did, is that any reason why q new
law should be made that will cost
the people $4,000?
For unblushing egotism, bad
English, and poor argument this
letter of the chief is of itself and by
itself. With his left hand he hugs
to his breast the COW kings, and
with his right he pats the Alliance
on the head and says: IL am OF
you; l sympathize with you; but
these are my boys; | can't let them
CO." xxx