Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-02-07
HE GOVERNMENTS DUTY


my contention tnaJ JDe lnulan |
country should be made a part OF
Oklahoma and | submit to those
who favor it that it is their duty to
support a bill providing for 1t now.
Nothing but trouble can come of
delay.
will now come to the fourth
proposition, to organize one state
out of all the lands in Oklahoma
and the five tribes, and in giving
my reasons for this | will, OF
course, give some other reasons
why neither OF the first PROPOSE
tions should be adopted.
Mr.. Hudson. / desire TO ask the
gentleman from Arkansas ques-
ton. The gentleman is chairman
of the committee on public lands,
and has necessarily in that posi-
ton had II great many questions
concerning Oklahoma and the In
dian Territory before that commit
mittee, and who also lives in the
neigh borhood. / want to ask him
if it is not his judgment, that it is
necessary, in the present condi-
ton of affairs in that territory, for
the government of the United
States to establish its jurisdiction
there in order to preserve order
and good government2
MIR. McRae. Beyond all ques.
ton, yes. | want to say that /
have no feeling of unkindness
against the Indians, and no Pc
iudice in favor of the white people
who live in the Indian country. |
have spent all my life in the con-
gressional district adjoining the
Choctaw ration, and | know some
thing of their history, character
progress and growth | do not
hesitate to say that they have
both among the whites and lndi-
ans as high types of manhood and
as good an average of virtue and
intelligence as can be found In
any sparsely settled western COM
munity where the advantages OF
schools and churches have not
been better. There are, of course,
bad men among them, but all of the
bad characters do not reside there.
The lack of civil government aud
security from arrests makes the
country favorite resort for crimi-
mails and rascals who flee from
Justice in the states, and the great
wonder is that there are so few OF
them.
While have assailed, and now
condemn as a disgrace to our fed
eral system, the form of govern
ment under which the white In
dian sauawmen utilize the common
property of the tribes for their per.
sonal profit, and the Indian office.
holders and police perpetuate their
farcical governments and them
selves in office by Tightening and
deceiving the uneducated members
OF the tribes, | do not intend to as.
sail them personally or as a race.
, The souawmen and officeholders
have a good thing, which they in
sist is protected by a treaty with
, this, the strongest government on
earth, and they intend to keep il
= as long as possible. They appea
to congress to protect them in
, what they call their solemn treaty
rights, Notwithstanding they daily
violate them both in spirit and ir
letter. Human nature is the same
the world over, and the spirit oi
greed exists with these people as
it has always abided with man
kind.
1t is useless to complain at wha
they have done and are doinl
while we leave them in position t
, continue it, for we know tina
avarice is never satisfied and is al
ways pushing for more. And so
= believe that almost any set of mel
J under the same conditions woul
s do just as they have done and ar
T doing. We should strike at tn
! system that permits this rathe
: than assail the men who practic
] the wrongs. | want and conten
r for a government for that countr,
9 which will rest upon America
q manhood suffrage, not on triba
affiliation. Congress can not chang
: the disposition Of those who rul
) the Indians, but it can chang
f their tribal governments and Sc
cure to each member of the tribe
his share Of the property which {
right belongs to him, Inalienablt
if necessary, for twenty or NOR
years, and in addition to this ca
g and should give him the ballot t
e protect it.
admit that the Indian tribe
Z, hold their lands in common, and
want them to have the iull benef
: of it. / would not knowingly be
!. party to any legislation that woul
. destroy the value of their commo
inheritance, or restrict the person
e al rights Of the individual mem
0 bers of the tribes; but | emphatic
a ally deny their right to continu
I within the jurisdiction Of tn
( United States these tribal govern
E ments, which are destructive O
= the homestead idea, contrary t
I the genius and spirit of our insti
b tutions, ,violative Of the fundament
I al principle ofequality upon whicl
s our constitution rests, and stand
t ing disgrace to the government W
. respect.
9 Mr.. Curtis. 1t would be in vic
s lation of treaties Of the five tribes
/ would it not?
D Mr.. McRae. For the sake o
4 argument l will admit that by tn
terms Of the so. called treaties thei