The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-01
THE RICHEST OF NATIONS.
No OtheriPeople Can Match Dollars With
the Cherokee Indians.
Washington Post.

=
T. NJ. Burlington, president Of the
Cherokee Senate, and G. G. Boundinot,
nephew of Col. E. G. Boundinot, the
famous Cherokee statesman, arrived in
the city yesterday and have rooms at
the National.
T MrRyffington attracted no little at
tention in Il lobby of the hos.elry yes
terday by his agniicent physique,
standing about feet 4lnccss lncssnh n height
and weighing close to POO pounds. Mn
Boudinot, while not as tall as his friend
is magnificent representative Of tho
Cherokee race, standing fully 6 feet
and weighing about $50. The two gen
tlemen are not fuli-blooded, but very
light, the parent of each ing hal
white.
They are in the capital IS the repre-
sentatives Of the Cherokee tribe tc
ratify the sale of the strip to the
| Government. The land sold comprises
6,OO0,OO0 acres, and the price agreed
upon by the contracting parties is 81 .42.
per acre. This will make the Cherokees,
| who number about $4,000, the richest
nation or race Of people in the world.
The Usage tribe comes next in wealth,
as the money they have deposited with
~ l. l., IL
gives them an interest s62 50 per capita
each quarter.
Few peopleiu the States realize that
we have a little world practically
among ourselves" said -Ir. Boudiuot
yesterday, "but we have one Of the
most complete governmental existence.
Our land is the most fertile, and we
raise all the grains of the west, and in
the southern portion We raise cotton
and tobacco. We receive about $3.50, 900
interest from the Federal government,
and with that we support ours. We
have our own congress, the House of
Representative having forty members
and our Senate, Of which Mr.. Butfins-
ton is president, eighteen. Our laws are
all printed in both English and Chero-
kee. We have had a written code OF
laws for seventy years, and also an I'M
perfect system written in 1908. We
have our judiciary, composed OF minor
courts as we'll q. district and supreme.
All proceedings, however, are carried on
IN the English language.
"The Cherokee j. the most civilized
of all the Indians. We have always
been farmers, aud have had the Gov
erument III our debt instead of them
supporting Us. The Cherokses origi-
nallv were found in East Tennessee,
North Carolina aud Northern Georgia
by De Soto, who mentions them. Our
traditions, however, tell us that. We
had 81 900 acres Of land given us then,
which we sold back in 1888. In 1911
large part of our people left and went
to Arkansas. Eventually all went
there, and finally succeeded; in uniting
once more our present reserva-
ton in 1887. In 1867 we adopted The
Shawnees, and in 1868 the Dele
wares.
we to-day own land in Alal'a'na
about l., coo acres, and other lands III
Arkansas. We sold the Oklahoma
strip some few years ago, and recently
sold the outlet Of 100000 for 81 II: the
acre to the Government, which con-
tract we are now here to ratify. We
will leave the money with Uncle Sam
and draw the interest, ana Will use II
UPON Our roads. We have spent many
Thousands upon. them already, out
want to make them perfect. Ine
word Cherokee is pronounce" 'C!ial-o-
gee"