Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1894-02-08
THE suLLBLooD AS Hu is.

ThM hOLhbhOOD 40 hu -.
There is one wrong being done
the fullblood that THE CHIEFTAIN
would like to see regulated. There
is one misrepresentation OF the full.
blood's real condition that will one
day, sooner or later, be fully ex-
planned and laid bare. In short,
the day Of reckoning and Of restitu-
ton will come, and the false posi-
ton Of those who pretend to es-
pouse his cause by appealing to
his prejudices will be nailed.
The wrong, and the misrepre-
sentation, and the fraud is this,
that the Cherokees--or the other
nations as to that matter-are
moving along all right; that they
have a model local government,
and that the condition of the In
dian is a desirable one, or that the
fullblood is getting a good living
out of the present system, and is
contented and happy. Nothing
could be further from the truth.
Now for the facts: The full
blood is poor, deluded, listless
and hopeless creature, shut out
from the world and its civilization
by the very environments that give
happiness and prosperity to others.
He neither hears nor understands
any English of consequence. He
lives in the most out.of-the-way
places he can find. He owns very
little stock and has no farm.
(Speaking in general, though there
are exceptions). He is as poor
as he can ever get in this
world. The only thing he is well
stocked with is prejudice to the
white man and his ways. He is
told by his mixed blood brothers
that he is as well of as he is, and
he probably believes it.
If the Dawes commission would
study the condition and wants of
the real Indian they must go and
view him in his native haunts
among the hills, where poverty and
ignorance and disease stalks forth
at MONDAY. There are no poorer
people on earth than the fullblood
Indians as class, and the people
who claim that eve are all right"
know it. The people who occupy
the land and are operating large
farms and grazing vast herds al,
the expense of these poor, deluded
creatures and insist that the full
blood is "all right" ought to be
ashamed of themselves.
We need change of government
Qf for no other purpose) for the
defense and protection Of the full
blood.
At Vinita and Muskogee and
other trade centers in this territory
is no place to study the Indian
and his needs. The fullbloods do
not live in town, but seek the most
remote retreats possible. There
are few well-to-do fullbloods, but
with rare exceptions they are poll
ticians aud have gotten their means
from the public crib. There is not
one fullblood in hundred who has
the remotest idea that he is paying
a cent of tax, when the truth is he
is paying more tax in proportion
to his income than citizen Of any
state in the union is paying or ever
has paid. The interest on the in
vested funds belongs to all alike,
hence the poor and the rich pay
the same amount, which is almost
ten dollars per annum for every
Cherokee by blood in the tribe.
The United States government
owes these poor people better
treatment. They should not be
left the willing prey Of those who
pretend to be running their gov
ernment for them. The general
government should see that they
get a just and equal division Of
land and money and be protected
by an inalienable title to their
homes.
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Win all the boasted sagacity Of