Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-12-08

merely attach themselves to ,
party which calls itself demo
cratic; that is formal and protessec
democracy; the northern states Law
ish the treasures of learning upor
scrubs" dagoes, negroes, anc
the whole brotherhood of human
ity and make good men of many
of them; this is real democracy
The ten leading states OF the Union
in respect to the rate of taxation
for the support of common schools
are California which spends s4 20
Colorado 81 0S, District of Colum
bia SO. 90, Massachusetts, 1870. So
Dakota, $3.65, Nevada SO So, Kan.
sas SO 40, No. Dakota SO. .43, Iowa
1885, Minnesota 1922; the ten
lowest states are Virginia spend
ing 9Sc., Arkansas 90c., Missis-
sippi and Tennessee, each S6c.,
Louisiana 73c., New Mexico Gle,
Alabama 59c., Georgia 53c., No.
Carolina 44c., and So. Carolina,
the state without which the nearly
fatal blunder of secession would
never have been made, 41c. the
states in the order named had
their schools open in the year 1890
the following number of days re-
spectively: 157, 144, ITS, III, 145,
140, 1876, 113, 156, 1913, 1l8, rs, SO,
Sc, 1O5, 60, 70, 70, SO, and 50. The
deople of California spend $1,000
where those of So. CAROLINA spend
81 90, and keep their schools open
nearly three days to So. Cardinals
one. Which of these states is nurs-
ing citizenship, enlightenment,
philanthropy? Which is raising a
population of "scrubs"2 The lat
ter state fear is unconsciously,
but none the less surely breeding
another attack on Fort Sumter,
and inviting as formidable a train
of evils as succeeded the former
attack. Indian Territory and the
Cherokee nation are doing less
than the least of them.
A sovereign community, like
free man, is responsible for any
evil it has the power to prevent;
what will be the verdict of bet
ter and wiser people concerning
the Cherokee people if the latter
take the Strip money and squan-
der it in a per capita spree? What
ought to be said of people which
will deny their children their
birthright of an ample, generous
and lavish education, and for the
brief joy ofspending little Doodle,
reduce their children to the con
dition of scrubs" If you con-
denim to this lot future generations
of the populace of the Cherokee
nation who shall escape2 Who can
be sure that his own children will
not fall into the lowest stratum of
society? And il any man could be
sure Of keeping his children in d
condition of gentility, if he were
gifted with the wisdom which
could guard them against the vicis-
STUDIES of fate he needs an edu-
Gated community for them to live
in, for no circumstances, however
fortunate, can raise any family
much above the general level.
This strip money is an unearned
increment; no Cher okee ever
sweated a drop for it or risked
cents value for it; ii would be as
justifiable for the government to
rob you as for you to rob your
children Of it; for if you own this
Strip by right OF inheritance your
children to the last generation in
herted it as well as you; a story
is told of German who fell into
a vat of beer and to save himself
from drowning tried to drink the
vat empty Of its beer; the story is
of course ridiculous. but if it were
true in all its grossness il would |
not be a match for the grossness OF
destroying an educational fund |
having in il the power to bless un-
told generations in order to swim |
for a few brief moments in a sea |
of Doodle and have rothing left |
after few days but the inextin-
guishable memory of an irrepara-
Die crime.
1t is asserted that even if the /
OF the United States /
should act as trustee for this mon
ey the interest before it reaches
those for whom il is intended will
be sqUandered by venal and un-
scrupulous officials; though there
is a passage in the Book of Pro-
verbs forbidding An answer to such
a remark as this | will answer il:
If the people Of the Cherokee ma
ton are so unfit for a republican
form of government that they can
not put it beyond the power of any
man or set Of men 10 Illustrate the
very purpose Of the government
itself they have travelled a long
way on the road to ruin already I
and need at once to make a trial Of
controlling their masters or place
themselves at once under the pro
lection Of the general government;
f the Strip money is sure to he
lost anyway better to lose il max
ng this experiment; you shall at