Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-04-07

y
into ones family as son and heir;
TO take and treat as child, giving
title to the privileges and rights
Of child"
What did you give for your
right, Mr., Dean2 II i understand
it, you gave up your birth place,
the country that God gave you as
a home in Georgia, for this. Now,
my friend, has not the adopted
citizen done the same thing2 He
has given up his native country
and sworn he would be true to the
constitution that you say was made
for the Cherokee by blood only,
and that he has no part IN. II
your old namesake knew that there
was boy or man named alter
him, and still above ground, he
would kick the bluegrass sod of
old Kentucky from his grave and
want to see the color Of the man 5
hair and the size Of his head that
would make the assertion that the
constitution of country was made
for only part of her citizens. l
again assert that every citizen has
equal rights, and a Cherokee by
blood has no rights unless he is
citizen, and the decision in the
North Carolina Cherokee claim
will bear me out.
The claim set up by the North
Carolina CherOkees was that they
were Cherokees by blood and had
an equal interest in the land in the
old nation, and that one-seyenth
of them remained in North Caro-
lima, consequently were entitled 70
one-seventh of the land and money
The ground was taken that as the
treaties with the Cnerokees were
not with the authorities of the
Cherokee nation, but with the
whole Cherokee people, by which
the United States government was
bound in the execution thereof to
see that every individual member
of the tribe was fully protected,
and that it made no difference
where he lived or in what part of
the United States he was, he had
an indefeasible right to the vested
funds and properly of this nation.
The Cherokee nation took the
ground that they were nation and
had a constitutional government,
and that the lands and monies be-
longed 10 the Cherokee nation, as
shown by that constitution, and
whenever a Cherokee ceased to be
citizen he forfeited his rights to
the public land and money, and
that no one had right to collect
the public money of the Cherokee
nation but the treasurer OF the
Cherokee nation and he could
only pay it out in accordance with
the acts of the Cherokee council.
This case went to the court Of
claims and was won by the Chero-
kee nation; an appeal was taken
by the North Carolina Cherokees
to the supreme court, and the de-
cision made by the court of claims !
was sustained, thus showing that
rights in the Cherokee nation |
were based on citizenship and not |
on blood and that they-ih North |
Carolina Cherokees must be re-
admitted to Cherokee citizenship 1
according to the constitution of the /
Cherokee nation to enjoy the bene-
fits of the common property. This /
is what the Cherokees contended /
for and they won their case, and |
the decision in my opinion was
perfectly correct aud just If the
land and money belonging To the
nation could be drawn out by
every individual Cherokee that
wished to 60 from his country,
how long would this nation last?
But by that decision it is made a
common right that can be enjoyed
only by citizens, and the conshtu-
tion defines who they are, aud
they all have the same right to
enjoy this common property now.
But you propose to convert a
part of this common property into
money and divide that money
among a part Of the citizens and !
sci up the claim that the other
part has no right to share in the
distribution Of part of the com
mon property of their country, be-
cause they have no Cherokee
blood in their veins. You then
ask these people to be true to the
constitution that you, Mr. Dean,
say they have no part in, and
loyal to the government that denies
them an equal right with other
citizens.
| appeal to all fair-minded peo
pie if such a doctrine will strengthen
and uphold any government
Henry Clay Dean is so filled up
with prejudice against the white
man that he quits all law, all
treaties, all sense, and says the
white man wants to rob his wife
and children and go into a foreign
country and spend his money in
riotous living. This is the compl-
ment paid by such men to the
Cherokee ladies-that they of
themselves amount to nothing in
the eyes of the white man, and
their charms GO for naught; this
is about as sensible as his threat:
1.-THE United States has decided
that we have right to say who
our citizens are, and we may be
forced to say that he is not a citi.
zen" This is not worthy of an
answer. but it shows the necessity
of all those whose rights are de-
MED to join together and test their
rights. While the white man is
the least sufferer of all at present
(his family will draw, but the
Delaware, Shawnee and colored
man will be entirely left out: but