The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-09-20
INDIAN ALLOTMENT.
TOwn-SIte LeRIsIstIoR. as Proposed by
Green MeCurtsin, Chief Of
the choetsw Nation.

cnlel ol tiilS uutlou ou liaNAuAh
nj allotment. / shall. in time,
take my seat and do my best to
carry out my ideas. The situation
is just this-it has come TO n point
where the Indian must take a de-
eided step forward. or forever be
swallowed up and lose his identity.
The present state of affairs cannot
be allowed to exist much longer. /
The government will not tolerate /
it, and you cannot blame the gov
eminent. WHAT then! The In
dian must calmly face the situ-
alton. determine what course is
best for him and follow that course
to the end. / do not believe il
would be a wise policy for the
government to establish terrific
rial government over the India.
at the present time. 1t will take
time to educate him up to this
To thrust upon him at the present
time a territorial government. with
its attendant burdens of citizenship
and taxation, would be TO impose
upon him burdens which he is not
prepared to sustain at present. 1t
will take time to educate him up
to these things, and for the pres
ent at least the government should
recognize this and wait for the
development of the Indian TO meet
the requirements that a territorial
government would bring with it.
Under the present form of tri-
bal Cover nment, it cannot be de-
MED that the Indian has made vast
progress, and there are still fur
ther possibilities in this direction.
But today the Choctaw Indian
and what l say applies equally to
other tribes-is not prepared to
have state or territorial govern
ment. This il the ease for two
( reasons. In the first instance, if
you put a territorial government,
let us say, over the Indian, it viii
result in the red mans being out
voted by the white occupants Oi
the Territory, and a set of men he
ing placed over him to govern hin
in whose selection he had no choice
That will lead to trouble. In th'
second place, the majority of In
dians understand practically moth
ing about taxation, and to attemp
to levy taxes upon them to sup
port such a government would in
evitably lead 20 trouble. Tn
younger class of Indians nov
growing up, who are receiving
good educatiOns, can understan
these things, but the full-blOO
Indians, who can scarcely spea
a word of English, and know littl
: or nothing about the laws and re
quirements of civilization. do moi
To successfully establish such
government over them they mus
be educated up to it,"
+. What would be your plan {
government, then. in eonnectio
Il with the policy of allotment, whiC
it is proposed to carry outi"
ol Let me explain first what
Ju meant by allotment-very rev pee
=, pie comprehend the meaning of II
1g term. At present all the lands
the Nation are held in common l
IT the tribe. An Indian who h
money can go to work and fen
off ss much land as he please
De- and there is nothing to hinder hi
from such a course. In this vi
the wealthy aud more pOwerf
= members of the tribe trespass
- the rights of the weaker. Und
allotment it is proposed to divi
i, all the lands held by the trit
Illl into three grades. according
choice and desirability-frst, sc
ond and third. This will gi
enough to allow each man. won
and child in the Nation 670 acr