Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1893-10-12
Ned nuntlin Talks to Council.

Gentlemen OF the Senate and
House of Representatives: You
will soon convene in q legislative
capacity under circumstances of ex-
traordinary interest to every bona
fide citizen of the Cherokee nation.
All eyes are even now turned to
you in the hope that by wise,
judicious and timely legislation
the public interest will be pre-
served and protected. The last
council consummated the sale of
the Strip with its attending con-
ditions under extraordinary cir
cumstances Corruption marked
the deal from inception to finis.
1t violated every principle of our
common and equal rights to the
public domain guaranteed to us by
the constitution by granting to
seventy persons certain rights and
privileges not accorded to other
citizens of the Cherokee nation,
which in the end enabled citizens
Of the United States to monopolize
town sites for speculative pur-
poses and proved to be of no real
advantage to and citizen of this
nation outside of a ring controlled
by r.. L. Owen, whose chief bust.
ness, it would seem, was to aid
outsiders in fleeing his own
people. When the sale of the
Strip was consummated it was
expected and promised that the
money would be paid out to the
people per capita and to this end
commission was appointed,
headed by Chief Harris, to trans
fer the title and sell the bonds to
obtain the money. Prior to their
start on this business it was given
out that they had had an offer of
par value on the bonds by a New
York banking firm. 1t was
thought there would be no diff
Guilty in selling the bonds for cash
which would at once be paid out
10 the people. Under this delus.
ION, induced by the principal
chief, the merchants made large
sales to he people on time,
aggregating perhaps a million and
half dollars. The commission
went on to Washington az after
a conference with Secretary Car
Isle they made out and delivered
our deed to six and half million
acres of land and agreed to place
Cherokee bonds endorsed by the
United States government on the
market to raise the money to pay
the debt due us, only to find that
our bonds were not clothed with the
necessary attributes to command
the money. They were now in the
hands of Wall Street. Our bonds
were found to be deficient in all
the characteristics that make
bond salable. The government
now had our deed to six and a half
million acres of land for a mere
promise to pay al some specified
time in the future and had turned
US over to the tender mercies OF
Wall Street to be scaled as they
saw fit or wait until the money fell
due by installments. But we
should never sell those bonds for
less than par value aud accrued in
terest under no circumstances. 1t
will be much better to keep those
bonds and divide them out among
the people in per capita shares
than to sell them. The greater
part Of our population consists OF
women, children, mir rs and or.
phans, and there can lr no better
inves tments for this class OF our
citizens. they are safe and sure,
bearing interest. and no doubt
about their redemption. II you
desire money you can always OBJ
tain it on them at any bank, as
they are the best form Of collateral
security. II we desire to sell them
we will at all times be able to OBJ
tain par and accrued interest for
them. They are more valuable
than money for the reason that
they draw interest while money
does not, and it Is for this reason
that they do not commonly circu.
late as money, but are locked up
in bank vaults as the basis on
which TO secure the circulation of
greenbacks and national bank
notes. We should never think of
selling these bonds. II others buy
them for the profit there is in them
we can surely afford to keep them |
for that profit. You should at
once repeal the law authorizing
their sale by a commission and |
pass an act OF council requesting /
Secretary Carlisle 10 issue them in /
such form as will enable US to di-
vide them out among our people |
in per capita shares as an invest
ment. This will be much better
than to sell these bonds and pay |
out the money. Whenever we sell |
these bonds we open the door to |
all kinds Of fraud and corruption.
When we pay out the bonds we
close the door to all kinds of fraud /
and give every man full and COM
plete control of his share of the
debt, so that no man can swindle
him out Of it. If he is bound to
fool II away, all right; that cannot
be helped. II this course is pur-
sued they will at once pass current
among US as a circulating medium
and produce a prosperity hitherto
unknown. But in case Secretary
Carlisle should not consent to do
this we can accomplish the same
Thing by a simple act Of council.
We can authorize the National