People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-05-11
TELLER POINTS OUT CRAVE WRONGS.
The Committee Reports on the Con.
dition OF Affairs Existing in the In
dian Territory. and Advise Some
sweeping Changes - Indian
Exclusiveness Ended-The
Court System Bad.

sented the report of that committee
giving the result of the committee
recent investigation of affairs in the
Indian territory.
Its not final report, however. and
while existing evils are pointed out
and brought out in manner that
must characterization, the remedy for
the entire trouble is only limited at.
and is left to be formulated at later
day.
Inc report gives the Indian popu.
lation of the territory as 5O,O55. while
the white population which. when the
last census was taken, was lO9. 3g3.
Is now estimated to be between $50
600 and 100000. In some of the agri-
cultural sections there are ten whites
TO one Indian and there are several
large towns composed wholly of white
people. These whites have no RIGHT
10 citizenship; cannot become the
owners of land; cannot send their
children to the common schools. and
cannot go into the local courts outside
OF the Cherokee nation. They cannot
even organize municipal governments.
lay out streets or provide for police
protection. The report takes up all
these questions and declares that a
remedy must be provided.
Referring to the fact that the treat
les with the Indians by the govern
ment of the United States had provided
against the intrusion of whites. the
report says; .s
! we made II possible for the In lians Of that
SECTION OF the country TO maintain their tribal
relations and their Indian policy. laws and
civilization II they wished SO do. And il
| now Inc Isolation and exclusiveness sought 10
De given them by our solemn treaties Is
destroyed and they are Overrun by
| population OF strln ,ers many times the
Huloer OF their own, it is not the
iaull OF me government of the United States.
Out comes from their own acts in admitting
! Wmtts 10 citizenship under their laws ami nv
| inviting white people to come within their inr,
| isqlctOn to become traders and farmers and 10
! loAOW professional pursuits II must he ne.
ss~sl NJ ne lldi2sS theIeelyes have de-
termined TO abandon the FOLEY OF exclusive.
ness and to freely admit white people within
the indian territory, for il cannot be possible
mat they can intend TO demand the removal of
the white people either by the government nj
the United State or their own Tbev mnSt how Ua
realized That when their policy of maintaininr
an IAGlah community isolated from the whites
| was abandoned for time. il was Abandoned
forever We do not hear from any Indian the
Su ge,tlon mt the white people there should
be removed. 0'-01'N
The committee finds the judicial
system Of the territory especially
faulty. The whites are not admitted
to the Indian courts and are required
to 90 TO the federal courts at Fort
Smith, Ark, Paris, Texas, or the
federal courts in Indian territory.
The expense Of conducting cases in
those courts by reason of the distance
to be travelled and the time consumed
Is enormous. Parties charged with
the smallest mis1emeanOrs are often
taken over 200 miles for trial. The
same is true in civil suits, however
small the sum involved.
The committee makes the astonish-
ing statement that the expense of
maintaining this court and of prose-
cutting crime in this territory is about
one-seventh of the judicial expendi-
ture Of the United States, because of
these facts.
Such glaring and unbearable evils
the committee says, cannot be fully
remedied until the question of polit-
zeal and judicial jurisdiction shall be
finally changed and a territorial or
state form of government estab-
llshed. The committee thinks. how
ever, partial remedy may be found
in the appointment of two addi-
tional justices and the appointment
by the court of commissioners for the
different localities who shall have
final jurisdiction in misdemeanors
where the punishment does not ex-
coed Imprisonment for six months and
in civil suits where the amount in
volyed does not exceed $780, This
change will result in a great reduc.
ton or expense to the government and
far better administration of Justice
than now exists. The present system
is intolcrab!e.
The question of the occupancy of
the land is treated at length. The
committee finds that the original the
DRY OF the government that the In
dams were to own the land in COM
mon. all having equal interests in it.
has been violated and that a few en-
terprising citizens of the tribe-not
Indians but citizens by MARRIAGE
have become practical owners of the
best and greatest part of the lands.
No remedy is suggested at this time.
however, because the Dawes commits
sion is now in the Indian territory
with the purpose of submitting 20 the
several tribes a proposition for
change of the present condition.
We prefer" the committee
says, Ito wait until it shall
be seen whether this difficult and
delicates subject may not be disposed
OF by an agreement with the several
tribes OF the territory. But if the In
dams decline to treat with that COM
mission and decline to consider anv
change in their condition, the United
States must without their aid and
without awaiting their approval, set
tie this question of the character and
condition of their land tenure and es-
tablish a government over whites and.
Indians of that territory in accord
ance with the principles OF our consti-
tuition and laws"
/ Nothing, the report says, will do
but the abandonment of the present
system. 1t cannot be modified or re-
formed, but a better system must be
substituted. That this will be diff
ficultto do the committee freely ad-
mitS, but because it is difficult task
is no reason Why congress should not
at the earliest possible, moment ad-
dress itself tothe question