The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-13
INDIANS In POLITICS.
REMARKABLE RED MEN AT THE MA.
TIONAL CAPITAL.
One Of Them Has Been Admitted to Prsc-
tice in the Supreme Court OF the United
States-How the ''TaIl Sycamore" Inn
peessed al Apache Delegation.
Especial Correspondence.l

4
states-How the ''Tan Sycamore" Inn
peessed al Apache Delegation.
| Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, April 1s-Some of these
days the American Indian is likely to break
into politics Just few days ago the first
Indian was admitted to practice before the
supreme court of the United States. His
name is Boudinot, and his father was q
famous chief of the Cherokees. The elder
Boudinot was educated at Yale college
and was lawyer of ability. He preferred
the peace and quiet of his plantation in
| the Cherokee Nation to the strife and ex-
element of an active attorneys life, and
he seldom practiced except before the
| primitive courts OF his own people.
| Upon a few occasions he undertook cases
| in the Arkansas courts near his home,
and he conducted them with such ability
and success as to attract the attention of
leading white jurists. He was offered big
| fees to undertake important cases for his
white neighbors, but he would not prac-
tice. He educated his son, however, and
| the latter, who has been out of college sew
| eral years, is one of the leading lawyers OF
the southwest. He, too, lives on planta-
| ton at home in the Indian Territory, but
he is more ambitious than his father, and
enjoys large and lucrative law practice.
| Most of his clients are white men, and
| some of the corporations in the southwest
pay him fat fees for the transaction of
| legal business in which they are interested,
! knowing as they do that the young Indian
| lawyer possesses rare ability and eloquence.
Young Boudinot is as swarthy as his an
cestors of a century ago, but his black eyes
| sparkle with intelligence and his manner
is that of the most refined and cultivated
| man. He is an eloquent speaker, and when
he addressed the dignified justices of the
supreme court on the day Of his admission,
in a case in viii h be appeared as counsel,
every member of that distinguished body
| paid him the most profound attention.
The argument was clear, concise and able,
and coming as it did from an Indian it
created a deep impression upon those who
heard it.
But Boudinot is only one of many In
dams who are well known in the capital as
men of education and ability. Another
familiar figure is that of J. S. STANDBY, of
tue Choctaw Nation. The Choctaws are
near neighbors of the Cherokees in the In
dian Territory. Standley looks more like
white man than does Boudinot, though be
is full blood Choctaw He is tall, slender
and somewhat swarthy. and he carries
himself like military officer. He was edu-
Gated at the Kentucky Military institute
before the war of the rebellion, and when
the great conflict came on he Joined his
fortunes with the Confederacy. He served
throughout the war as Confederate sol
der, and after peace was declared he set
tied down on a plantation among his own
people. he is planter, and being law
yer, too practices little now and then.
He represents the Choctaws here every
winter before congress and the depart
ments, and is a familiar figure in Wash
ington. Few people perhaps among the
hundreds who are acquainted with him in
business way know that he is an Indian.
He looks like prosperous ''paleface," and
he is popular with all the department Off
Gals AID members of congress who num-
Der him among their acquaintance.
Every winter the capital is visited by
delegations of Indians, for there are always
measures in relation to Indian affairs be
fore congress or in the departments. A
few weeks ago a delegation of Apaches
came to Washington. They wanted to see
the Great Father" as they call the presi-
dent, and to talk with "the big white
chiefs" in the department about some
affairs in which their tribe was interested.
Wild as the Apaches are generally sup
posed to be, the members of the visiting
delegation were not clothed in blankets,
but they wore the same kind of clothing
as their white friends. They visited the
galleries Of the house and senate and lis
tened with the deepest interest to the de-
bates on the tariff and on the silver ques-
ton.
Perhaps they did not understand the
great problems of state involved, but
they never manifested it by word or sign.
They put in several days studying the ora
tors on the floors of congress, and went
away evidently impressed with what they
had seen. A department official, accom-
panied by the interpreters, showed them
about the Capitol and told them who the
speakers were. One of the senators espe-
cially interested them. He was Senator
voorhees,, of Indiana. Mr.. Voorhees, is tall
and of commanding appearance, and he
impressed the Apache visitors as an orator
The senator's voice is deep and sonorous
and his gestures when speaking are effect
i've He made an impression upon the In
dams, and they confided the opinion to the
official who accompanied them that they
admired Mr. Voorhees, style more than
that of any other speaker they had seen
and heard.
Another Indian visitor in Washington
frequently is Is pa he-char, the old chief of
the Creeks or Muscogees. He has been
here most of the present session. In ap-
pearance old 1s-pa-he-char is the modest
Roman of them ALL" He has the splendid
figure, the fine face the dignified manner
of the red man told about in the books.
Pure Muscogee blood flows in his veins.
He is quite as Indian as his name. Sixty
four years ago he was a papoose on the
banks of the Osanuppa, tributary of the
Chattahoochee, in Alabama From there
he emigrated with his people, the Greeks,
to the Indian Territory. When the war
came on he was loyal to the government,
with which his fathers had made treaties,
and he Joined the Union army.
When the Creeks some years ago adopted
a constitutional form of government Is
pa-he-char served four years as a member
of the lower house Of his nation and he
helped to get the legislative machinery in
motion. After that he YVES judge Of the
district of Ocmulgee. Then came the best
evidence that old Is-pa- he-char had taken
to the white mans road" in earnest. An
election for chief occurred. After the
election there was grave doubt as TO who
had carried it's pa-he-char or his OPP
ponent, J. NJ. Perryman. The warriors
gathered. The old question of might
makes right asserted itself. The young