Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-01-28

Gently from valued friend ground.
ed on the unadyisability If signing
petition for the removal OF sa.
loon; forty.five seconds before
met that friend | had seen on the
steps Of that saloon four boys, to-
gelher, coming out. | have been
sought out repeatedly by a parent
of each Of those four boys, most
frequently By the mother, with
mothers solicitude in her face;
this argument will be lost upon
saloonkeeper and his defenders,
(among whom | do not count the
friend just mentioned } for they
usually know and care about ma
ternal solicitude as little as Dig
ger Indian about the Solar system.
But have had yinita mothers ask.
ing rue for five years for Gods
sake to be patient, to be diligent
in season and out Of season, to be
kind, and to help them make some
thing of their boys. | have never
been able to tell these mothers the
worst | knew; the atmosphere Of
the academy is not heavenly By
a great deal, therefore we can do
very little for boy when hell gets
two OF his hours to our one; we
can do less still when hell gets our
share OF the boys time along with
its own. Knowing these things,
and have told but little yet of
what ! know about the saloon, the
very friend who says am iniudi-
cious, would be the first in better
moment to tell me how deep and
indelible the taint of cowardice
would be in me if | ever lost an
opportunity to enter a protest as
indignant and emphatic as could
make it against business whose
only influence will be to Mexican
ize America. can see il; for every
year | have been here there has
come. under my observation not less
than one boy with the integrity the
intelligence, the ambition which
makes an American, changed into
such disrepulable, loahng para.
site that | would not dare to insult
Mexico, thousand miles away, by
calling such fellow a "greaser.
Affairs are in fine condition
indeed in the Beautiful Indian
Territory" when it is not the vio-
lator but the invoker of a just and
salulary law who is attempted to
be held up for public censure. A
comic paper had series Of pie
lures few years ago OF pet kit
ten which grew to be tiger; the
last picture showed the horror,
the dumb despair Of little boy,
the whilom owner Of the pet, as he
heheld the glis;ening eyes, the
cruel teeth, and the upraised paw
of the monster once his sport, but
now his fate The rum business
in the Indian Territory has grown
10 such dimensions now that it
dares show its teeth; it dares to
threaten men with social and finan-
cial ruin; the degradation of our
people is such that a drastic code
of laws and the strong arm of the |
Federal power are impotent TO /
rescue them, and the rum beast |
says woe to the man who shall |
rob il of its prey. ! defy it. Any /
thing is preferable to q peace pur- |
chased by tame aud dishonorable |
| am more that will /
ling TO base all my hope OF future
consideration and prcferment on
uneompromising hostility to the
saloon, and contempt for it, its
methods and defenders.
Now for the prophecy The sa-
loon will 90. Doubtless il will |
come first; there is much reason To t
tear that when statehood comes we
shall have a people incapable of |
.aking the high-sr0und which our
1eighhor state OF Kansas has tax.
IN. but the saloon will 90 Just the
same; America will not be Mex.
canlzed; the Latin races. the races
which produced Iola, Rabelais and
hooaaeoio have len smutch on our
lody polite, but they have not
ainted the whole body; there is a
mighty weapon in the hands of the
you have heard OF it; il
s fprltqmsm, recrulesoenCe of
-atInism means a revival of Pur-
tanism, and God help the man or
ause on whom puriianism falls;
ike the Stuart family it will be
'etter to have never known exis.
ence than rest under rthe ignominy
# such a defeat and the inlamy of
uch name choose. 1t looks
> u this were the generation Of
'mch every man must choose
lie who dallies is q bastard and
e who doubts is damned.
JoHN MCCARTHY
~--------
. The possibilities of war with
hill have disappeared.