Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-07-07
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THE RICHEST OF NATIONS.

No Other People Can Match Dollar
with the Cherokee Indians.
T. NJ. Burlington. president Of tn
Cherokee senate, and g. e. Bondinot
nephew of Colonel Z. 9. Boudinot. tn,
famous Cherokee statesman, have room
at the National.
Mr.. Burlington attracted no little at
tention in the lobby of that hostelry by
his magnificent physique, standing
about 6 feet A inches in height. ant
weighing close to 200 pounds. Mr.
Boudinot, while not as tall as his friend
is magnificent representative of the
Cherokee race, standing fully six feet
and weighing about 1870. The two
gentlemen are not full bloo1ed, but
very light, the parents of each being
half white.
They are in the capital as the repre-
sentatives Of the Cherokee tribe to ratify
the sale of the Cherokee strip to the gov.
ernment. The land sold compromises
622, 100000 acres and the price agreed
upon by the contracting parties is 81. .42I5
per acre. This will make the Chero-
KEGS, who number about 10000. the
richest nation or race Of pc 1rle in tho
world. The Usage tribe comes next in
wealth, as the money they have depos-
tied with the government for The sale of
lands gives them an interest Of S62.50
per capita each quarter.
"Few people in the states realize tina,
we have little world practically among
ourselves" said Mr.. Boudinot. "but we
have one of the most complete govern.
ments in existence. Our land is the
most fertile, and we raise all the grains
of the west, and in the southern portions
we raise cotton and tobacco. We re
ceive about $150,000 interest from the
federal government, and with that we
support ours. We have our own con
gress, the house of representatives hav-
ing forty members, and our senate, OF
which Mr.. Burlington is president, eight
cen. Our laws are all printed in both
English and Cherokee. We have had a
written code of laws for seventy years,
and also an imperfect system written in
1908 We have our judiciary, composed
Of minor courts as well as district and
supreme. All proceedings, however,
are carried on in the English language.
"The Cherokee is the most civilized of
all the Indians. We have always been
farmers, and have had the government
in our debt instead of them supporting
us. The Cherokees originally were
found in east Tennessee, North Caro-
lima and northern Georgia by De Soto,
who mentions them. Our traditions,
however, tell us that. We had 81 900
acres Of land given us then, which we
sold back in 1888, In 1917 a large part
of our people left and went to Arkansas.
Eventually all went there and finally
succeeded in uniting once more on our
present reservation in 1888. In 1867 we
adopted the Shawnees, and in 1863 the
Delawares.
"We today own land in Alabama
about 10000 acres, and other lands in
Arkansas. We sold the Oklahoma strip
some few years ago, and have also sold
the outlet of 622 900, 900 acres for 81 .42%
the acre to the government, which con
tract we are now here to ratify. We
will leave the money with Uncle Sam
and draw tie interest, and will use it
upon our roads. We have spent many
thousands upon them already, but want
to make them perfect. The word Chero-
kee is pronounced 'Chal-o-gee. "-Wash-
ington Post.