Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-01-31
INDIANS FOR REVENUE" !"

Continued From Page One.
a. the bar of their courts and
knows what he is talking about.
Attorney-GeneraJ Hastings had
agreed to pay Doel Baugh, a mem.
Der of the senate from Cooweescco-
wee district, 500 to get him ap-
pointed as a delegate to go to
Washington. Baugh did so, but
Hastings refused to pay him and
Baugh exposed the matter.
IL is q common thing for officers
OF the public schools and ohaiita
BILE institutions to pay sums of
money to the officers to get posi-
tions which they occupy. No one
has ever yet been held responsible
for Encouragement and stealage
OF the public funds.
Hoolie Bell was sent out by
Chief Bushyhead to collect the
grass money in the "Strip." |
heard Bell say in the presence of
my brother, Captain Taylor, and
others, that he collected Sl1, 900.
How much more he collected no
one ever knew, for he always re-
fused 10 make any report, and
never paid a cent of the money he
collected to the Cherokee govern
ment. He was also ordered to
collect the royalty on ties furnished
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas
railroad, and never paid over a
cent of that | have heard him
tell about it and laugh.
/ have heard, but | do not vouch
for the statement, that the council
adopted a resolution requiring Bell
to appear before it and report, and
in obedience to the resolution he
walked into the council with his
black locks flung back on his shoul.
der and made this report:
al, Hooley Bell, do hereby re-
port [Signed] HooLIE BELL"
Laughter.
And that was all ,hey ever got
out of him of either the report or
the money. They kept the report,
Hoolie Bell kept the money. and,
as usual, the oppressed Indian got
nothing.
Continuing, he says:
The most valuable part of the
Cherokee nation for agricultural
purposes is fenced up. Some of
those holding those vast tracts have
thousands of acres inclosed. Some
have as high as thirty different
farms. This takes from the poor
people the most valuable tracts OF
land in the Cherokee nation, and
they have no power to regain them
as long as they remein under the
present tribal government | have
been engaged in the practice of law
among my own people for over
twenty-five years
Mr.. Brosius Will my friend al
low me to ask him a question just
there2
Mr.. Little. Certainly.
Mr.. Brosius Just in this con.
neclion | wish to inquire what is
the origin Of those statements
which the gentleman has just read?
Were they extracts from any judi
cial proceedings?
Mr.. Little. The last statement
/ read is taken from a letter writ.
ten by a prominent Cherokee; the
same authenticity as the docu-
ments that the Indians are circu-
lating among the members of this
house, attempting not only TO
slander members Of the Dawes
commission, but honorable men,
bers upon the floor of this house
and at the other end Of the capitol
/ want to read little more his
tory relating to the Cherokee coun-
try. | vouch for these statements.
/ shall not give the author
Where do not do so | will vouch
for them 1t was made the duty
Of the Cherokee council to locate
the payment of the Cherokee out
let money, the money that the
government appropriated to them
for their lands during the last year,
80 that such payments would be
convenient to the people. The
council required the town Of vi
nita to pay toit SO, 800 to induce
it to locate payment at that place.
This money was divided up, as
currently reported, among the
members Of the council.
They also required the citizens
of Tahlequah, the capital of the
nation, to pay large sums OF monsy
to induce the location of a pay
ment in that town, when it was
made their duty, under the law,
to locate these payments at such
points as would be most convent
ent to the great body of the peo-
pie of that country.
Major Kidd, one of the Dawes
commission, was in Vinita at the
time this very money, upon sub
scription, was being made up for
this purpose. When Kidd and
McKennon addressed the nomina.
ting convention of the National
party of Cherokees, McKennon-
and a nobler man does not live on
Gods earth, or a Drawer man or a
truer man, | know him personally
aud have known aud loved hin
for twenty years, anything that
McKenonn says, within his own
knowledge, no member of this
House or citizen Of this country
need ever hesitate for a moment TO
accept-with that courage to do
his duty under all circumstances
denounced these crimes in the
teeth Of the very men who had
ann rnitt,I th.,n nnI NIL. m