Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-12-01
OUR TAHLEouAH LETTER.
Proceedings OF Council for the
Week


?
It's the old story--ncthing done.
In the old Hooley Bell days of the
senate we had brains and rascality;
now we have ignorance and ras.
cality. II is hard to tell which in
the long ron will be the most ex-
pensive TO the people. If there is
to be a comparison made the diff
ference is in favor of the house and
against the senate. This body has
done its whole duty in regard to
the secretary bill. The snag it
struck was in the executive office
where every one of the secretaries
voted against it, The house voted
unanimously against the veto, bGt
the senate refused the two-thirds
vote. That the people may know
who is not in favor of retrench.
ment we give the names of those
etudlOiS NnO NONcu W SucNdin tht
veto. They are r. NJ. Wolfe, of
Goingsnake, the only national
man, c. L. Washbourne, of Della
ware, J. l.. Baugh. of Cooweescoo-
wee. Gale Starr, of Tahlequah, Nc
Lain and Harris of Canadian, and
Fargo, of Sequoyah. If there are
any of the present members of the
senate who ought to be left at
home next election these are the
ones.
The bill providing for a reduc-
tion of the salaries Of nearly all
the officers passed the lower house.
In the senate yesterday the follow
ing amendments were made to it,
after which it was passed; That
the Office of revenue collector be
abolished and the sheriffs be au-
thorized to collect the revenue;
that the office of deputy high sher-
iff receive a salary of $500 instead
Of s400; that the office Of the town
commissioners be abolished The
house viii probably concur.
the U. s. SENATE COMMITTEE
Arrived in the city on Wednes-
day evening, and although Thurs
day was thanksgiving, they and
our committee and the Wattses all
went into conference, consultation
and spatiing, and passed the day
at it. Senator Butler from some
cause did not come. Sen.
ator Perkins constituents are
urging him TO secure the pas
sage of the Strip negotiations, and
he says he will be obliged to vote
for it, right or wrong. Senator
Higgins, of Delaware, was very
sociable and has no ak to grind in
the affair, but be could hardly give
up his cherished idea that we
ought to pay the intruders TOR their
improvements, although he had
TO admit that we had all the law
and equity on our side. After
hearing the arguments OF our COM
mittee, and Col. w. A. Phillips
(tor they bad to have him help
them ouD and the Watts commit
tee for two days, the United States
senators each made an address to
the public in the opera house which
was crowded to overlooking. They
acknowledged that they had no
authority to change the negotia-
tions but only came to get the
sentiment of the Cherokees on
paying the intruders for their i'm
provement, or to see if some means
could not be devised by which the
matter might be settled without
working any hardship on them
They found our people as firm as a
rock against the payment Of a cent.
The general belief in Tahlequah
is that the committee would like
to pay the intruders for their i'm.
provement, but since they have no
law for it, nor had any right to al
low them to make farms and set
tie here, and since the time is too
short now to do anything, the ne
gotiations will be ratified in their
entirety. The committees visit
was brief, they departing on Sat
'urday at noon for Oklahoma.