Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-11-28


white adopted citizens" for all persons in
terested.
*s*
Scarcely a single day passes in
either branch of the national coun-
Gil in which some member does
not give utterance to something rel
ative to a change of government.
And much as the average citizen
deplores the possibility of a
change in the Cherokee govern
ment, nearly all admit that there
is great probability of such thing
coming soon. And while all up-
pose it as being inimical to the
best interests of the Cherokee peo
pie, it is spoken of as the 'ineNi
table"
Senator Rogers said the other
day, in q speech favnring del. g..
tion of four to Washington, that
he was satisfied that the honorable
body of which he had the honor Of
being a member would not be per-
mitted to meet but very few more
times, and that the time was fast
approaching when the impending
change would surely come. Just
what will be the ultimate outcome
of present tendencies in con-
gress, and of the probable effect of
the coming report of the Dawes
commission, none can tell, but one
thing is as sure as the sun shines,
and that is there will have to be
very radical change in the attitude
of congress toward us or the change
will come before we are ready for
it in any sense. A great deal
doubtless will depend on the
strength and efficiency of the next
delegation. The Cherokees have
good case and their powers of
persuasion, and their tact in pre-
senting their claims to the govern
ment in past years has been phe-
nomenal. But there is a general
feeling that perhaps the crisis has
not been reached yet; that the
force of the storm is not spent but
that the great and trying time is
vet to come. This feeling was
never brought out clearer, proba-
bly,, than it was in the lower house
on Monday of this week in the
spirited debate that came on when
the bill providing for delegate on
the floor of congress as provided
for in the treaty of 1866. When a
fullblood member wishes to oppose
measure he generally says that
he don't understand it, and speaks
as though it was the strangest
thing in the world to him, and
such tactics generally are sufficient
to scare all the other fullbloods,
and that is the way they kill every
measure they don't like. The
fullbloods argue that a delegate
elected to congress would in a
measure commit the nation to the
policies of the United States; that
it would be cultivating little too
close relations with the govern
ment, and therefore they "could
not understand it," The bill was
defeated and the delegation will
not be put to the trouble of asking
congress to allow the Cherokee
nation a delegate on the floor of
congress.
The appropriation for the color
ed high school was reinstated again
Monday by both houses, so another
sinecure or two is to let. But the
fact is, the colored people were
about getting ready to "read the
riot act" to their National friends
and they didn't dare leave them
out in the cold. There is no doubt
though but what the nation could
educate the few who attended
there last year at Yale or Harvard,
cheaper than at the high school.
Xxx
The name of Joseph French was
sent to the senate Monday for su
perintendent of the female semi
nary, and was promptly confirmed,
receiving every vote in that body.
Mr.. French is said to be a very eX-
cellent gentleman; he is of re-
ligious turn of mind, and if we are
not mistaken is a preacher. He
lives in Tahlequah district, about
twenty miles west of Tahlequah.
***
There are a few good appoint
ments yet to make those of town
commissioner, superintendent OF
the male seminary, superintendent
OF the colored high school, and the
delegation to Washington are
among the most important.
*ss*
The advice of Mrs. Lease to the
Kansas farmers during the popu
list craze some years ago, to raise
less corn and wheat and more
h-ll" seems to be the motto of 9
good many of the members of the
present national council Not
content with destroying the bust
ness interests of the country by
debating to the merchants whom
they shall hire, they have now
turned their attention to the farm.
er and passed a measure Gn the
lower house, Monday, limiting
every one to not exceeding two
permitted laborers at any one time.
This of course means death to the
farming interests. What farmer
is there who can care for a large
wheat or oat crop with two men?
What farmer can cultivate a crop
of corn of any magnitude with the
help of but two hired hands? The
crowd that says we must raise less
corn and less wheat are the same
fellows who have spent more time
in their youth hunting squirr els
than in a school room, who would
rather sell whisky at night than
ploW corn in the day time. There