Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-01-31

railroad.
Within the history of this trans.
action is enough TO justify these
men who come here--not repro
senting the people Of that country,
but representing their own inter
ests and their own power--it is
enough to inspire them TO try Ia
withdraw the attention of congress
from the real conditions of that
country by slandering members ol
the Dawes commission. Listen to
this and mark the courage with
which Archibald s. McKennon
and Major Kidd declared these
truths in the face Of these people.
That is why this horde of OPP
pressors and corruptionists come
here to defeat legislation. And
not only that, but they have come
here and made efforts, and ars
threatening to make efforts with
the president, to have these men
removed and other men put iu
their places For the president OF
the United States to take this step at
the instance OF these men who are
expressing their own people would
be cowardice; would he step
backward; would be an insult to
the philanthropic American peo-
Pile.
This step, Mr.. Chairman, will
never be taken by Grover Cleve.
land at the instance of these men
who do not represent the interests
of their people.
A railroad company, called the
Choctaw and Chickasaw national
railroad company, was organized to
build a road from some point near
Fort Smith, my own beautiful city
in my own good country, through
to a point on the west line of the
| Chickasaw nation, near Duncan.
This company was to have altern.
ate sections on each side of the
road for six miles, very hand.
some donation.
| want you to mark how they
were to obtain this great privilege.
! want to say now that this scheme
of robbery and corruption was de.
feated by the bold stand taken by
the members of the commission
and their fearless exposition of the
corrupt practices used in obtaining
their charter from the territory. II
the commission serves no other
purpose, the nation will owe them
a debt of gratitude for having the
boldness and courage to save these
defenseless people from this high
handed robbery.
| They had the right TO survey,
and it was understood thai it would
be located on the finest beds o
coal in the Chickastw nation, for 9
number of miles, and also run ovei
and take halt Of the valuable man.
ganese deposits and iron ore, enc
some of the finest asphaltum beds
in the world, thus taking the prop.
erty of the Choctaws and Chicka
saws, worth millions of dollars, fuI
which they did not intend to pay
a cent.
} This company went to the ChOc
taw council and entered into az
agreement with the governor anc
with the members of the council
in which they were to give to each
lots of this land ranging from SOC
to 10000 acres when they obtained
title.
They executed written agree.
ments TO convey the land to these
officials when the road obtained
title.
A number of the members of tn,
council were unwilling 10 acc.p
the agreement to convey land, anC
they paid to them money in sums
ranging from $500 TO 81 800 each
They procured a called meeting
of the council of the Chickasaw
nation aud endeavored to get thi.
passed through that council.
Kidd and McKennon, being in
formed as to the facts, wherever
they addressed the citizens of tn,
ChOctaw and Cbickasaw nations
made specific statements of these
facts, as here stated, charging this
bribery upon them, and warning
the people To protect themselves
against this robbery.
These statements made openly
in the public speeches of the com.
missioners as to the bribery were
never contradicted by anyone, al.
though in many instances there
were a number ofcouncilmen pres
ent and heard the speeches.
At Hartshorne, in the Choctaw
nation, McKennon gave these facts
particularly and denounced the
scheme as IA robbery of the com.
mon people. He stated in his
speech that there were members
of the council in the audience who
accepted these briberies, and that
if the truth of these statements
were questioned by any one OF
them, let him get up aud say so
He stated that he would give the
amount each individual received.
No reply was made TO him.
Afterwards one Of them came tD
him and stated that he did not
deny that he had received a part
OF that money as member Of the
council. McKennon asked him
how much he got He said, II
got enough to pay me pretty well" I"
McKennOn then said 10 him, "You
got $500" To which he replied,
"How did you know thal?"
Another proni ient member OF
the council, upon being approach. q.
ed on this subject, said he had ac
cenlrd mnnrv nndnr a nrnnise 10