Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-11-17
OUR TAHLEQUAH LETTER.
Proceedings of Council for the
Past Week and Tahlequah
News in General.
TAHLFQuAu. 1 T.,
TuNsDAY. Nov. 10. is0

TuxsDAY, Nov. 10. iso2 !
Both houses met Tuesday morn;
ing, but adjourned Immediately
until 1 o'clock sharp, when the
delivery of the chiefs message was
to take place. Although it was
cloudy and chilly quite a large
crowd was present. The female
seminary girls, usually the great.
est attraction on this occasion
were the first on the ground,
marching from the seminary by
double file, all handsomely attired
and wreathed in smiles, they
formed a semi-circle about the
speakers stand where they awaited
the arrival Of the boys from the
other seminary and the council and
chief. The boys soon made their
appearance. marching in military
order, and also formed semi.
circle Just back of the girls; then
came the members of the senate
followed by the lower house all in
double file and each with a chair
in his hand as his weapon Of war q.
The delivery of the message occu.
pied about an hour aud a half, Mr..
J. II. Covel acting as interpreter.
The people generally pronounced
it an able document, though some,
however, took issue on certain
parts.
BOTH HOUSES GET TO BUSINESS.
Wednesday morning the two
branches of council convened with
an apparent determination to do
good for the people and redeem
themselves for doing scarcely
anything during the long session
last year. After the adoption of
rules, regulations, &c governing
the respective bodies, one Of which
was passed in the house forbid
ding the use Of tobacco in any
form during business hours, a
message from the chief was re-
ceived in the house recommend
ing the appointment of five com
missioners at s4.0O per day to
meet and confer with the United
States senate committee soon to
arrive. The house being composed
OF an obedient lot of fellows, and
anxious to follow the recommenda-
tions of the chief in his message
to cut down the salaries of all olii-
GERS. proceeded at once to pounce
upon the bill with all vengeance
which they cut almost in twain.
1t was amended TO read three in
stead of Ave commissioners, aud
at a salary of three instead of four
dollars per day, and was immedi-
ately passed and sent into the sem
ate before dinner. That body took
it up on the following day, and af-
ter being subjected to NJ little rid
icule by Senators Wolfe, Soggy
Sanders and others on the grounds
that three dollars per day would
not pay the travelling expenses of
the committee, nor command men
of sufficient dignity and intelli-
gence to meet such a commission.
the bill was put upon its passage,
but met the fate Of the republican
party in the late election, with the
exception, perhaps, that there was
more OF it left than of the republi-
can party.
About the first thing the senate
die was to open up war on the
monopolists, Senator Burlington
introducing bill to regulate the
settlement of the public domain.
1t is something on the order Of the
Adair measure, restricting all
adults to 100 acres and repeal
ing the old act, allowing the use of
a quarter of a mile around your
improvement.
A bill was also introduced in
the senate by Mr.. Washbourne
providing for the continuation of
the present and future terms at the
seminaries and colored school
through the winter without vaca.
tion. This is a good measure and
will probably pass. The long
journey in mid-winter that many
of the students have to take home
and back together with the ex-
pense attached to it is a piece of
folly. Let the term begin In Octo-
ber and close the last of May; then
the boys in the northern districts
can sow crop OF wheat before
they GO and reap it when they re-
turn, and those in the southern
districts can get out crop Of cot
ton in the fall.
On Friday the petition Of Wm.
Brewer and four children for citi-
zenship was passed through both
houses.
A bill was introduced in the