The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-01
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The I.sruser- A-ovs Th-z-Ths rress@.'
-vsrious Need.

WASHINGTON. March 31.-The Joint memorial
Of the Cherokees. Choctaws. ChickasawR and
Creeks against both Statehood and severslty
| allotment, forwarded to the present session Of
| Congress, will perhaps relieve the Indian Ter
i ritory Of any further attempts Just now to
change its political status. Yet II is only a
question OF time when this change must come.
| The assertions Of the Indian tribes in that
memorial regarding their improvement and
| their prospects are to a considerable degree
borne out By the report Of their Government
agent. Mr.. Dew ". Wisdom. "A genuine full
blood Indian will soon he curiosity In the
Indian Territory" says that report. II further
appears that the population Of what Is called
the Indian Territory as distinguished from
! what has been added to Oklahoma. consisted
last year Of about 70.5O0 citizens OF the
tribes and 15o.OOO citizens The latter
are expected to increase rapidly during the
| present year. They are mostly tenants of the
| roil. and. ms the rents are not large. they ind
| IL for their interest to hold lands under their
| leases there and cultivate them. OF the citi-
Zens the Cherokees by blood with the inter
| married white and the adopted citizens are
| estimated at 2O. 500: the Chickasaws. exclusive
| OF negroes. at 5000; the Choctaws. those By
| blood. intermarried whites and the negroes.
| at 20.OOO: tho Creeks. by blood and the ne.
Rroes. at $4,000: the Semlnoles at 1000 The
aggregated. in round numbers. 20O0O.OOO
| acres, Of which about one-half was consid-
cred susceptible OF remunerstive cultivation
The agency for all the tribes is at MuscoRee
in the Creek Nation, on the line Of the Missouri
Kansas and Texas Railway. which goes
through the heart OF the Indian country
There are several i'm portant problems to be
solved In the Indian Territory. Prominent
among these lie that OF the Intrusion OF non
all he "a Ia
pecially true Of tho Cherokee and Chicknsaw
nations In the former Mr.. Wisdom estimates
the intruders at 8. 600 divided into two classes.
The first are those who entered before Aug.
IL. 1885, and have made valuable improve
m ents; the second are those who entered
after that date. claim citizenship through al
legged Cherokee blood. and accordingly refuse
to take out permits or comply with the resi-
dence law. IL Ia Of the latter class that the
Cherokees mostly complain. Under an act OF
Congress passed about year ago Q Board OF
Appraisers 10 dealing with the first class.
When the Cherokee Strip was purchased. one
OF the agreements was that the United States
Government should remove the intruders. In
order that this might be done without injus-
tice 1t became necessary to put value on all
i'm provements made In good faith by the in
for; but. as an Offset q fair value for the use
aud occupation OF the lands Is deducted from
the improvements. and these latter become the
good way as could be expected for disposing
But 1t is the second class Of intruders that
creates the most difficulty. II Is numerous.
well organized. and determined to stay. In
s %d tnG and M %sdo tSnf
exclusion would be unjust: hut this is not
and tho Cherokee Nation In resisting their In.
CORPORATION into the tribe. is sim ply acting on
ssGss H5 the Of ss Tn.d &. i:
supreme Court has recognized the exclusive
arr It's d citsens Many Of the intfudsrs have
had bearing on this question: and their cases
fsir members o. he court being Interested In
against them, and the Indian police force is not
sanization l. SO powerful that the Cherokee
Nation cannot get rid OF them. ut least in any
In the chickasaw Nation the case against
TIE intTndsrs e stu stronger Gov a9Sss
they call it - the free state of Picksns,,' and
CSerok GO intrSders Just spoken o. they do not not
make Claim 70 citizenship by blood: but are
nominally Under leases. but fraud SIsntiy. &C:
cordlng to the agent. Gov. Wolf has appealed
military force to eject these intruders. on ac-
count Of their strength and ayowed determine
ti0n TO rem ain. inc agent says that tne
whole situation 10 a meshwork Of fraud and
cunning evasion 81 the law that will require
heroic treatment"
Another question 10 presented by the status
OF the freedmen among the Chickasaws and
groes to vote hold ONCE. or enjoy the school
exceed in numb Der the native population, their
condition demands attention. Many OF them
were slaves Of the Chickasaws, were born upon
Chickasaw soil. and speak the language fluent
ly. But the natives naturally do not want the
negroes TO share I'm the tribal funds and re-
sources. apart from the danger OF having them
control rho Government Tho Cherokees also
do not acknowledge tho freedmen rs citizens
except under certain treaty stipulations. Com
missioner allace made an enrolment OF up-
ward OF 800 freedmen. hut the Cherokee
authorities did not regard his enrolment as
correct Mr.. Wisdom says that they must Do
either treated as Cherokeoa or as citizens OF
the United States having some tribal rights.
and that they should not be left without re-
course to the courts.
The question Of the administration Of JUS
tice in tho Indian Territory is one OF much i'm
portance. The United States court trnnsacts
business Of u civil nature and holds two terms
Texas and Fort smith In Arkansas have iuris-
diction over offences punishable by death or
imprisonment at hard labor. Mr.. Wisdom
thinks that Congress- shonld increase the Ju-
risdiction OF the Indian Territory court. and
appoint more Judges, II necessary. In order to
carry out such q system. That Is point. how
ever. which has caused much discussion. with
varying opinions. In Congress,