The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-09
MAD AS WET HENS
INDIAN TERRITORY DISGUISED
WITH DAWES COMMISSION.

At First the Commission was Thought to
have Been In Earnest. but the Latest
Developments Show that Nothing what
ever will be Done, that the Indians will
Bluff their Way Out of the Difficulty
end the Reign of Savagery will Continue
In the Five Nations Of the Bloody Amer
lean Indians.
Guthrie. o. T. June s-(SpeciaD A
madden set Of white people than the
white settlers and the progressive Ind
ians in the Indian territory never lived.
They have been waiting for the Daw-
es commission to de something. The
Dawes commission. probably acting di-
rectly under instructions from Washin-
gton, doesn't do anything. 1t does not
desire to do anything. 1t doesn't in
tend to do anything. And the settlers
are getting onto the fact.
At first, when the first Dawes COM
mission came out to the territory and
made report some Of the settlers
thought that the movement to get the
Indians to take their lands in severalty
was in earnest But the second COM
mission has come and done nothing.
The Indians are as obdurate as ever
and the Dawes commission intends to
knuckle under.
Lewis Hornbeck of Minco, one of the
the brightest men in the Indian Terri
1tory, Is out in open war In speaking
OF the resolutions recently adopted by
the delegates of the Chtckasaw and
Chocaaw nations at Antlers (the Creek,
Cherokee and Seminole nations not be
representeD. We commend a careful
reading of the resolutions passed by
the authority of what is known as the
National party. The names signed TO
the document are those of Indian citi-
Zens, and is it perfectly safe to assume
that no other reply will be made to the
propositions OF the Dawes commission
That reply is final, or, at least, il will
not be changed by any subsequent con-
vention that may be held on that SUBJ
5ect. So far as the Choctaw and Chick
aSaW governments are concerned the
United States has their reply to the
proposition of dividing their domains
in severalty. 1t don't go. More than
that, IL never will go by the expressed
consent of these governments Men
here in the country have quietly laugh
at the superb folly of sending a COM
mission to these governments under
the instructions that followed them.
Such commission, with such instruc-
tons, would have stood a better show
ing if sent to Canada or to Mexico on
a similar mission of annexation and
United States citizenship. Much better
Without a doubt the other three In
dian governments will follow the same
course with the Choctaws and Chicka-
saws; that is il they deem the subject
of enough importance to call the neces-
sary conventions. Now, of what use
is the Dawes commission? What use
has it ever been? After being here one
year on its first attempt il made a re-
port which was derided in the lobby.
summed by congress, and ignored by
the president. Since that time, and
simply to make places for pets, two
more men have been added to the COM
mission, thier hands tied so far as au-
thority is concerned, and sent down
here for another year or so to keep
them away from Washington. The or
iginal commission acted as if they had
a purpose in view, and created a hope
in the minds of progressive and fair
dealing citizens that something would
be done. but the recent additions to the
commission seem to have been selected
bcause of thir stubborn opposition TO
any Advancement in the condition of
the country. and because not inclined
to worry st. Louis and Texas capital
lists interested with certain citizens.
Also il is the polite thing not to modest
Arkansas and Texas office holders in
the Indian Territory, and a very fool
ish thing for the commission to work
themselves out of job by coming to
an effectual negotiation. Neither the
commission which is sent. nor the pres
ident who sent them, nor the govern
ments they were sent to, wish to ac-
compliSh anything in the way of a
change in the Indian Territory. Many
hundreds, thousands, of the Indian Cit
izenship are weary Of and sick at heart
over the tangled, dangerous, blighting,
unsatisfactory condition that sur
rounds them and their children, but
they can look in vain for relief at the
hands of the present guiding powers.
None will come. None is desired by
those who decide. on either side of the
pretended attempt Highly classic and
courtly notes of diplomatic apprisal
and rejoinder will pass weightly along
between the commission and the diff
ferent Indian governments, the sum-
mer will pass dreamily away the
capitalists Will make money, the
Commission will draw its salary, the
Indian authorities will divide the
spoils, tangled affairs will grow stead
lily worse. a pitiful report viii be pre-
pared for next winters congress, the
federal officehoIders will whack I'D
pay interested lobbyists-and-the
country Will be saved. Saved from pro-
gress, saved from enlightment, saved
from liberty. saved from peace. saved
from individual manliness. saved from
commerce, saved from permanent i'm
provements, saved from peaceful Sc
curity OF the rights OF the coming gen.
Grafton: saved for Doodle. saved for
barbarism, saved for Winchester arbi-
tration of rights. saved for intermina-
BILE confusion. saved for imported Of
ficeholders. saved for future litigation.
feuds, personal combats. robbery. hate,
ambush. dissolution, and-fnal settle
ment by force. Yes, the country is
saved all right
WHAT INDIANS THINK.
The reply resolutions TO the Dawes
commission Of which Mr. Hornbeck
speaks are as follows. They were aG-
opted recep;ly at a convention in
Antlers. Indian Tertiary:
Whereas The wisdom Of the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw people vested their
voices in the present Choctaw and
Chickasaw delegates. and under the
wise providence. who guides Us in our
trust, and under a mutual cons.dera-
ton. we find our tribal destiny Is one:
interviewer with the fate OF the FIVE
original tribes or nations Of the In
dian territory: our destiny demands
unity, the greatest security and pro;ec-
ton against ruiEous encroachnent of
threatened intrusion on our lands which
was perfected by treaties with TIE Uait-
ed States and by acts OF congress with
the Cherokee n the year A D. 1sZS
1888, is15. 1854. lsss and with the Caoc-
taWs IN a D.. lS55 and 1886. and with
the MuscOgses and Seminoles n - D..
1866 and
Whereas. In our judgment no con
ventlon touching our vital interests
has ever assembled for a ncbier pur-