Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-01-21


a greet stone. snake. Countless
springs Of fine water pour out oI
the base OF the ridge. In places
there are gaps through which riv.
ers and creeks find their way.
Seen from above the ridges wou' d
probably look like huge stone
wall. Studied on either side il
seems to have been made by some
shrinking action of The earth
which forced this long. barrow
mass Of stone upward. above tho
surface, from considerable depth
4 seems to have come from below
the coal measure, and TO have
forced that up and out of place.
The conl vein comes to an end
near the ridge II begins again a
shor. distance further on, after the
ridge is crossed.
Three experimental wells for oil
are being bored in The territory at
Muskogee, Eufaula and Red Fork
rhe Cudahy company is making
the venture. Thus far nothing is
known in detail of the results
Some years ago wells were bored
at Neodesha, in Kansas, just north
of the territory line. Considera-
BILE oil was found. The theory of
the geologists who were in the ter.
ritory last year is that the Neode.
sha drills reached the edge of an
otishoot Of the territory oil fields.
The government surveyors have
found the territory a paradise for
hunters. They have seen an
abundance of game. The curious
fact about this is ihat the white
men.do most of the hunting. The
Indians seem to have driited away
from the love of the chase. Deer
and turkeys are there in greater
numbers than in any other part Of
the United States, probably.
July will see the survey finished, !,
so lar as it applies to the Cherokee,
the Creek, the Choctaw and the
Seminole nations. Many years
ago a survey by contract was made
of the Chickasaw country. Exam
ination shows that not more than
half of the landmarks can be found.
1t is expected that the present con-
gress will make provision for the
same kind Of survey Of the Chick
asaws' land which is being con-
clude1 in the other nations.
A certain representative Of a
great railroad corporation was sent
down to the Indian Territory to
negotiate with one of the nations
for a coal lease on some land. He
started with the usual idea about
Indians. When he returned he
said, an a tone of fine disgust:
"Iudians2 Those fellows aren't
indians. They're tanned Yankees"
The Indian Territory ought to
have been made part and parcel Of
the United States years ago. The
breakup is at hand now, unless all
signs fail, but it comes tardily.
The affairs of the five tribes have
been in the hands Of the cliques
which have long enjoyed a good
thing-several good things, in truth
from coal leases, pasture leases
and various pickings. These cot.
cries have appeared through rep
resentatives at Washington year
after year and pleaded that the
poor Indian was not yet fitted for
American citizenship. They have
found sympathy for this plea
among eastern people of a phil
anthropic turn. They have sup
plemented the plea with the inau-
ence of an astute lobby. There
are no better politicians come to
Washington than some Of these In
dian Territory magnates who call
themselves Indians. One Of them
was here session after session,
went before committees, and had
his simple and pathetic arguments
for non-interierence interpreted.
Aiterward he appeared at down
town resorts, and in plain if not
elegant English proclaimed the de-
ception. He knew all Of the bad
words in the white mans language,
and enough Of the good ones for
practicable purposes.
The relation these five tribes
have sustained TO the United States
has been anomalous A chief just
ice of the United States supreme
court once described in fne-spun
legal terms a dependent soyer.
eighty" as if there could be such
a thing. By common consent the
government recognized the Indian
Territory as a collection Of depend
ent sovereignties. The relation
ship did very we'll so long a. the
United States had plenty of room
for homesteads and offered a great
variety OF opportunities for restless
enterprise. But a few years ago
the tide Of migration set in toward
this sparsely settled and attractive
region. Today there are six in.
truders for every Indian Of what
ever shade on these reservations.
The United States was forced to
set up its courts in the territory.
Practically all OF the law there is
there now is applied by the United
States government. Communities
of from $500 to 5000 white people
have gathered and remain without
title other than suherance, and
without local government other
than public sentiment. The de-
pendent sovereignty racket is
played out. II is a burlesque.
But IL has had a good run. 1t
dates back to the time when An
drew Jackson WAS president. The
chiei OF the Chickasaws came to
" ashington and called at the