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

richest nabob in the country. This
is unjust and unequal and should
not be tolerated any longer than it
will take to digest a system of tax
alton that will equalize its burdens
and place them where they belong.
This can be said in defense OF our
present system of taxation: that at
the time of its adoption we were a
nomadic people, in a transition
state passing from barbarism to
civilization, and no other system
of taxation could be adopted at
that time to meet the wants and
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 not 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
eminent; we possessed little out
side ofour wild, uncultivated lands;
we lived by hunting and fishing.
No system of taxation that we
could adopt would furnish The nee
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 cur government, in accord
ance with treaty siipulations; 50
per cent. of this fund was to go to
the school fund; 80 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 a
long term Of years to citizens oi
the United States, while others are
cultivating thousands of acres more
than they are entitled to upon a JUS
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 benefi
and use of what belongs to othe
people. And still, after having
appropriated all of the best agri
cultural and grazing lands to them
selves, with all-of our grass an,
water privileges, they don't pay a
much tax, in many instances, a
our poorest citizens.
To illustrate the inequality 0
our present system Of taxation, vi
will say that our population i
| 10000 and our annual expenditure
100000. This would give us
per capita tax Of SO to the head
Now TO show its iucongruity AM
injustice, we will take Richar,
Roe, a poor Cherokee, who live
on the east side Of Grand rive
among the hills and hollows 0
that broken country. He has
humble log cabin and five acres il
cultivation; he perhaps has a pal
of horses, few cattle and som
hogs; while be has been blessed
with little of this worlds goods, b
is blessed with large family W
will say he has himself and wifi
and ten children; that will max
twelve in his family, At $40 pc
capita he pays sl20 taxes for him
self and family.
Now there is John Doe on tn
west side Of Grand river; he has
spendid mansion, five thousan
acres in cultivation, twenty thoui
and head Of cattle grazing on th
nnblic domain and evervthin0 els