Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-10-20

not be tolerated any longer than il
will take to digest system of tax
alton that will equalize its burdens
and place them where they belong
This can be said in defense OF oul
present system of taxation; that a
the time of its adoption we were 8
nomadic people, in a transition
state passing from barbarism to
civilization, and no other system
of taxation could be adopted al
that time to meet the wants ano
requirements of our government,
When we entered into treaty stip-
ulations with the United States
government and agreed to adopt
the manners and customs of civil
ization and placed ourselves under
her protection, the great question
was how to provide the ways and
means for the support of our gov
ernment and the education of our
people. We were Lot at that time
an agricultural people, possessed
with an abundance OF property
from which a revenue could be col
lected for the support of our gov
ernment; we possessed little out
side of our wild, uncultivated lands;
we lived by hunting and fishing.
No system of taxation that we
could adopt would furnish the nec-
essary means for the support of
government and the education of
our people. Under these circum-
stances we sold our lands and. in
vested in government bonds,
drawing a regular interest, which
was paid us annually for the sup
port of our government, in accord
ance with treaty stipulations; 35
per cent. of this fund was to go to
the school fund; so per cent. TO the
general fund; and Is per cent.
to the orphan fund. At the
time of its adoption this was the
only system of taxation to meet
the wants and requirements of our
government. At the time of its
adoption our property rights were
equal as it was possible for them to
be. We held our lands in common
and being equal in property, sit
uated alike in circumstances our
system of taxation bore alike on
all and was just and equal. But
this condition of affairs has long
since changed; as we have advan-
ced in civilization there has been
an unequal distribution of our
property rights under our unjust
laws regulating settlement on the
public domain. The greedy,
grasping monopolist has seized our
lands and appropriated them to his
own private use, both for grazing
and agricultural purposes. Some
of our citizens, in violation of our
loose laws, have appropriated to
themselves thirty or forty claims
apiece by leasing them out for
long term of years to citizens of
the United States, while others are
cultivating thousands of acres more
than they are entitled to upon a just
division of our lands, and others
still are grazing from one to twenty
thousand head of cattle on the pub
lie domain and getting the benefit
and use of what belongs to other
people. And still, after having
appropriated all of the best agri-
cultural and grazing lands to them
selves, with all of our grass and
water privileges, they don't pay as
much tax, in many instances, as
our poorest citizens.
To illustrate the inequality Of
our present system of taxation, we
will say that our population is
80. 900 and our annual expenditures
$500, 600. This would give us a
per capita tax of $40 to the head.
Now to show its incongruity and
injustice, we will take Richard
Roe, poor Cherokee, who lives
on the east side Of Grand river
among the hills and hollows Of
that broken country. He has a
humble log cabin and FIVE acres in
cultivation; he perhaps has a pair
of horses, a few cattle and some
hogs; while he has been blessed
with little ofthis worlds goods, he
is blessed with large family; we
will say he has himself and wife
and ten children; that will make
twelve in his family. At $40 per
capita he pays s12O taxes for him
self and family.
Now there is John Doe on the
west side Of Grand river; be has a
spendid mansion, five thousand
acres in cultivation, twenty thous-
and head Of cattle grazing on the
public domain and everything else
that heart can wish; be is blessed
with a wife and four children and
having six in family be pays, at
SO per head, $50 Of our public