River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-01-17
70 care Won an Indian?r Under the

to ''Are you an indiana" Under the
laws of the five tribes a person, white
in color and features, is frequently IAN
Indian by remote degree of blood, or
by adoption. There are many whites
claiming to be Indians whose claims
have not as yet been acted upon by the
nations. Negroes are frequently met
who speak nothing but Indian lam
guages, and are Indians by tribal law
and custom; and there are others who
call themselves Indians who have not
yet been so acknowledged by the tribes.
The difficulties surrounding the taking
of this census were augmented by the
fact that in enrolling the Indians it
frequently occurred that it was neces-
sarv to equip two and sometimes three
interpreters to accompany the enumer-
ators to converse with Indians in the
same locality.
1t is a singular fact, developed by
the report az the expert special agent
in charge of the census for the Indian
territory, that the entire Indian popu-
lation of the vast areas of land in pos
session of the five civilized tribes is
only 50,055. 1t is shown that As, 49i of
the Indians are living with their own
tribes, and SOL Indians are found living
in tribes other than their own. There
are 1866 Indian citizen negroes and
others claiming citizc nip, who are of
negro descent. ! ,en in this so-called
Indian territory the aborig mes are
overshadowed and outnumbered more
than two to one by population of
1G9,393 whites, including number
who are claimants of Indian citizen
ship. The total population Is 17S,O97,
including the unluclzy number of -
Chinese, Acknowledged members of a
race which is unlucl1y in this country
in many respects. The census bulletin
shows that there are 95, 373 males in the
Indian territory and only S2,724 fe-
males. disproportion which does not
augur well for the perpetuity of the
tribes.
One of the handsomest women In the
world is the beautiful Miss Ross,
Cherokee half-breed, the daughter of
John Ross, a Scotehman, formerly of
Tennessee, and his wife Elizabeth,
full blood Cherokee squaw.
Joel b. Mayes, who was principal chief
of the Cherokees when the census was
taken, was a brigade paymaster and
quartermastel in the confederate army
during the entire civil war. His father
was a white man, and his mother
a Cherokee half-breed. So there was
not much Indian blood in the head
chief.
In the Indian towns pure Indians are
few and far between. In the country
some are met. Negro Indians, especial
ly in the Creek nation, can be found in
abundance, and some speak only the
Creek language. The Indians are large
ly one-half and one-fourth bloods and
resemble white men more than Indians.
One constantly hears the remark from
/ travellers in Indian territory: why,
where are the Indsans?"
No distilled spirits are supposed to
/ be sold to the five tribes. In 1890,
/ to June /, the distilled spirits used in
/ arts, manufactures and for medicine
/ in the five tribes, as shown by returns
/ from retail apothecaries. were; Ordi-
nary gallons of whisky, 20; ordinary
/ gallons of brandy, is; ordinary gallons
/ of gin, ;. Liquors are Struggled in,
/ sold and drunk One extraordinary
article of distillation, known as white
mule is used in the eastern part of the
4 territory. 1t is q villainous moonshine
whisky, distilled in the Ozark noun
tains of Arkansas. It's effects cause
probably one-half of the crimes n that
/ portion of the territory.
In a country where land is virgin, fer
tile, and it's use is 90 be had for the