Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-10-20
PER CAPITA FOLLY.
Mr.. MCCARTHY Suggests what to
do with the Strip Money.

resolution second of the Vinita
mass-meeting Of Cherokee citizens
of Oct. 9th may be a suggestion Of
good policy but / believe | can
suggest better. The Cherokee na-
tion might possibly do worse than
pay out the Strip money per cap
ita to those legally entitled to re-
ceive the same, but they can do
infinitely better, and think it be-
hooves them to do it for several
wcighty reasons. What can they
do? Sometime before 1920 the
general government made a istri-
button Of its surplus funds among
the states; the disposal of that
money is an instructive chapter in
the history OF our people; one Of
the plainest lessons taught by these
largesses of money is that they
foster shiftleness and improvidence
in any people; when that payment
comes there will be on the ground
a creditor claimant for two dollars
to every one paid out. venture
to say that the mere printing and
circulation of that resolution has
caused already the raising of thous-
ands Of dollars of credit in the stores
Of the nation; getting into debt is
passion with all but a select few of
the human race and every pro.
posal like that in the second resO-
luton of Oct. 9Th causes thousands
of men and women to plunge deep
er into the gulf o debt, and sad to
say, mortgage themselves to the
petty extortioners and usIsers from
which no people is free, but who
luxuriatc aud mttcn especially
upon the poor who have money in
their hands but lack the skill to
use it.
When we consider how large a
proportion of what escapes the
waiting creditor falls INTO the
hands of the gambler or the fakir
who sellsmay be a china dpg,er
two 90 sit on the mantel ano~ corr
ect hy-specks, we feel that the in |
tent OF the per capita payment has |
somehow failed of its aim and
that vastly more harm than good .
has been done.
referred to the distribution Of |
moneys by the general govern /
ment before 1920; the people Of |
my old Nutmeg state invested the F.
money which came to it to be for
ever permanent fund fer the sup
port Of the common schools for the
common people of the state.
want to tell you, my southern and
western friends, that this fact lies
pretty close to the secret OF the
great power Of the noflh-its in-
tellectual leadership. its financial
masterfulness and its unshakable
leadership in all that constitutes
enlightened christian common.
wealths. The north educatcs
the common people; the south
educates only those children whose
parents can afford to send them
away from home; the north edu-
Gates everyone, Jew and Gentle,
bond and free. |, the son Of an
Irish immigrant, was the school.
mate OF two boys who were the
sons Of, and are now in their own
right, millionaires-m milliOnaires
children in the common day school
of my town with any number of
Mickeys and Patsys and children of
every race and every color. The
great puzzle to meis that the north,
which is so anti-demOcraiic in It's
ideas, is so truly democratic in its
instincts as TO perceive that the
the state needs the service Of train
ed intelligence, and that it is as
likely to find it in the labOrers 3
hut as in the mansion Of the mil.
lionaire; those cold. .blooded north
( erners see that the state needs
the service of trained intelligence
and that. for the purposes OF good
government, we have had too little
instead of too much; and in the
! light of this truth, the dividing up
and throwing away Of a vast fund
having in it the power OF untold
good 10 thousands of generations
of our children (our children, and Ia
whom shall we be faithful il we are
false TO our children) is a folly
{ worse than a crime.
l have another reason entitled
to less weight but it will receive
more; l believe | am known as a
friend of Cherokee autonomy;
} there is struggle awaiting the
friends Of that autonomy; and
the fierce light which beats on
kings will sink into insignificant
paleness beside the scrutiny
which a hostile press and bitter
, and relentless faction residing
within the territory shall exercise
over all Of your acts and policies
Il wiz be Of little use for me, ol
anyone, or everyone to plead fol
the preservation Of the Cherokee
/ government if the Cherokee poo
pie furnish such a signal proof ol
their incapacity for self-goyern
ment as TO repeat this per capiti
folly while the Cherokee schoo
; system, is in its present state Of
what? ioFbear TO describe it OF
/ characterize II; your enemies viii
, not be 80 considerate.
Worcester Academy has as mucl