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

down the law and the rights of the
people. Yes; we do have mobs in
Arkansas. While | do not seek to
encourage them, / can say for the
good people with whom live,
whose motives and whose hearts l
know, that it matters not what the
cost may be, whenever the purity
of their wiv,s and their children
or the sacredness OF their
homes is at stake, wheth-
er the invader or assailant be
black or white, they will strike
him down. And if that be dis.
grace make the most OF it.
And will say, furtl er, that
when any part of our country will
tamely submit to the sensual bru-
tality of human beasts who invade
our homes and leftover our wo-
men it will mark the decay Of that
lofty sentiment which has for ages
characterized the devotion of our
men for their wives and daughters;
and | say here, and let the nation
hear it, ! have no respect either
| for man or community that will
not invoke the authority of that
higher law of the human heart and
visit speedy death to the brute
guilty of this the most heinous of
all crimes.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, | desire to
address myself for a moment to
I 81 Il 1ss.
have constantly thrown in our way
the question OF the rights of these
people under their treaties.
Gentlemen doubtless understand
that by this time. believe, as a
a friend of the people OF
that Countrywide Indian peo.
ple-because | am not here as
a champion especially OF the
whites or any other particular class
of people of that couutry-I be-
lieve, standing in the face of the
American people, with the knowl.
edge | have of the conditions eS.
listing in that country that there
is but one solution of the question,
and that is TO establish over
tnat country either state
or territorial government and
administer there the laws of this
great nation [applause], wiping
away these various and conflicting
Jurisdictions existing there, al
though you may do it AT the ex-
pense OF courts III my own city.
My people, prompted by the high
er patriotism of good citizens, say
that ii you can open that country
and restore the conditions of law
and order that we have throughout
the states it ought to be done, and
God be with you in the effort,
whether we have federal court
id that city or not.
The position take on that
question is this: Ii there is any
duty higher than another duty
that this government owes to the
Indians it is to secure TO them the
rights guaranteed to them under
their treaties; and it does not lie
in their mouths to trample out OF
existence the very soul and en-.
ergy of these sacred documents
and then come to to this congres.
and say, "YOu onght not to inter.
fere with the treaties treaties
which are already broken; treaties,
and the rights under them ignored
and disregarded by these tribes
who now ask their enforcement.
| shall only deal with these
treaties generally, though should
be glad to go into them specifically
if had the time and could do ~
without wearying the patience of
the house. These treaties give to
every man in that territory com.
mon or joint interest in the lands
In other words, every Indian oi
the five civilized tribes owns an
equal interest by law in the com-
mon property of this tribe, and,
under the fuarantees of this gov
erhment. an equal interest with
every other indian of that country
IA heritage that would make
every Indian of that land rich
an inheritance which would afford
them not only schools but palatial
homes and keep them for four
generations without their doing a
stroke OF work or exerting them
selves in the least to increase their
possessions if the government
would secure it to them.
| will say to the credit Of the
full-blooded Indians of these five
tribes, the Indians sometimes des.
ignated here as the "blanket IN
dians," that when you strike a
full-blooded Indian you generally
strike an orderly, honest man un-
less his brain is inhamed by "fire
water" as they call it-whisky.
He is peaceable; he observes the
law; he is as honest as the white
people. The contest is not against
such. But they stand there power
less in the hands of their more
fortunate brethren. The question
now addressed to this congress is
whether with these treaties before
u, with the declarations OF the su-
preme court of the United States
and every other branch Of This
government that these people are
the wards of the natiol, aud, al
though they may be children Of
the forest, are under the control
aud protection o! this great coun-
try, we ,hall secure to them the
rights that have been guaranteed
To them by treaties.
Before reading the authorities
giying the status of the Indians
and ihie dnlin. of Ihe rnVrrnmnn1