The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-13
THAT DAWES COMMISSION.

Dawes commission will be interested
in a reorganization Of the commission IS
work The commission TO all intents
and purposes has so far accomplished
nothing. They have been met with
audacious obstinacy from the Indians
on every hand.
The Choctaw nation IS just at present
the most obstreperous. The following
astounding law has just been passed by
the council of the ChOctaws:
BE it enacted by the general council OF
the Choctaw nation assembled that 1t
shall be unlawful for any citizen Of the
| Choctaw nation to attempt to overthrow
the Choctaw government. either by eKcit-
ing or subverting the minds of the people
against the Choctow form of government,
and shall not hold or attempt to hold
| Choctaw land in severalty. or shall at
tempt to convey any part or parcel Of the
| Choctaw land to non-citizen or citizens,
or attempt TO betray said lands and Choc-
taw country into the hands of foreign
power.
BE IL further enacted that any person
| or persons violating the first section shall
be prosecuted in the circuit court having
jurisdiction, and IL proven guilty OF trea-
son by two Or more witnesses shall be
punished by confinement in jail and a fine
of not less than 81 900 nor more than $4,000.
at the discretion Of the court
BE 1t further enacted that II any per-
son or persons violate this act for the
second time he or she shall be arrested,
sentenced and executed until dead"
In the face of this the Dawes COM
mission addresses the Cherokee nation
as follows:
ITO the Honorable, the Chief Of the Cher
olzee Nation.
1.-THE undersigned commissioners. ap-
pointed for that purpose by the United
States government, desire to negotiate
with the Cherokee nation for the purpose
Of exchanging by said nation upon terms
that shall be just, fair and reasonable to
all concerned or interested therein, the
present tribal title of said nation to its
lands and other property for an equal
division thereof among all citizens OF the
tribe entitled to a share therein, and an
adjustment and full settlement of all de-
mands, claims and other unsettled mat
tiers of any kind existing between the
United States and said nation, so far as II
may be necessary and proper for the ulti-
mate creation of a territorial or state gov
eminent under authority of the United
States, embracing said Cherokee nation
and such other nations of the Indian Ter
ritory as may desire to become a part
thereof, the United States to put each
person in possession of the lands to which
r. ge IaI mill 30
and the tribal government to remain in
authority until the completion of the
changes herein proposed, and as much
longer as shall be agreed upon in such
negotiations. -
The Indians will not listen to this
diplomatic lingo. They do not listen
and will lot listen Meanwhile the
newspapers are trying to bring them
around, as the following in the Indian |
Citizen will show:
"The question of negotiation with the |
Dawes commission, as to the propriety. |
expedience and necessity of it, is one |
which is perhaps more Incorrectly appre- |
ciated and understood than any public |
question that has been before the Choctaw |
people in almost a century. Some per- |
sons assert that the United States will /
not terminate its treaty relations with the
FIVE nations without their consent. They /
forget that the declaration of the United /
States IN the act of congress creating the |
original Dawes commission was IN IN
terms that the treaties had /
failed of their purpose, were impossible Of
execution, had outlived their usefulness.
and would have to be receded from, and
SO on. Those who have failed to discover
that the United States is determined to
be discharged of the treaty obligations to
the five nations, have been most unfortu-
nate in their reading, information and
of this initial branch Of the
question; and it may be that right here
lies the chief difficulty The question of
a further con tinuance Of the present treat
les will have to be regarded as settled. |
That step having been taken, 1t is import
ant to sever the question OF local politics
from the consideration. AS to whether
one is n National or Progressive. half
breed or full-blood, in favor OF allotment
or against allotment, citizen by blood, by
marriage or by adoption. or what his re-
latioR 10 the subject is, should cut no |
figure In deciding what to do II is purely
and exclusively a business proposition
which confronts each individual now. The
question is shall take care OF my prop
erty. or let il go and take chances on
having strangers out of sympathy with
me ard without information as 10 my
and wishes make disposition Of
X for me. Is II not true, and IL so how
unreasonable and unnatural? And Vet
not more so than TO thus treat ones every
FAY affairs, and scarcely more so than to
neglect his family. Such one surely
1oss Eot know that besides securing his
pro rata share OF land. there are millions
d dollars 20 be saved or lost according
As il may receive intelligent attention. or
De neglected and dlsiained. And above
Ind beyond all this the chief cons.dera-
ion will be 20 take steps 10 protect his
ihare Of land against territorial lee.sia-
ion. and the consuming hand OF the tax
1t Is tine the Chocta7xs were
waking up II won't CO 10 say that the
smart fellows are trying TO work some
scheme. that the haif-breeES are trying 70
'et away with the fuil-hlootss, or 10 in ,
'eat something 70 scare the women and
.hildrea and weak-minded men. This
question IS upon you. and you had lust
IS Wei meet il Ike men. Any intelligent
I'D honorable citizen ought TO know ina,
the ful-blood goes under. the hzIf-breea / :
must so along with him. that there are no
&NoTad ones in thls thing. that every ,
aaag Is in common and al must fare aIike.
I'd that there are 70 exemptions or ex-
options or chances for eny-
Here we have the snoothe, graceful