Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-05-20
A HALr sUaopsrnD.
Fears That The Railroads Will
Secure Their Coveted Grant.

| Deen CONTINUOUS Series OF eHOftb
moving on part of these railroad
companies ever since their charters
were granted in 1856, to perfect
their title to the land covered in
the grant, by beating the Indians.
The encroachments 10y which these
corporations have pushed them
selves upon these Indian people,
and trampled their rights under
foot, is so high handed and egregi-
Gus that il is difficult for an honest
mind to think of il without feel
ings Of resentment. OF course the
railroads were, from the beginning,
necessity; but to plant them in
this country, IL was not necessary
to rob and oppress the people who
lived there. As it is, they consti-
tute a glorious step forward in the
progress of civilization made
through the filthy avenues of greed
and fraud.
When this railroad agitation be-
gan in 1856, the title and owner
ship of these lands, as is very well
known, were abiding in the Chero.
KEGS; (by these terms we mean the
men, women and children who
compose the Cherokee tribe of In
dians.) In 1866 congress, by the
influence of capital and the man
agement of powerful lobbies, was
induced to promise these compa-
nies that Just as soon as the title of
the Indians should become extinct
they should have every alternate
section of land within a strip of
territory twenty miles wide run
ming through the entire length of
the Cherokee country. Now there
was nothing wrong in all this so
far; for there is nothing more IA.
millar in history than the extinc-
tion of an Indian tribe dying out
under the crushing heel of civiliza-
tion. Congress might very reas-
onably look forward to a time in
the no distant future when there
would be no Indian to own these
lands. Moreover it is agreed in
the treaties between these Indians
and the United States that when
the former ceased to be the own.
ers of these lands they should then
become the property of the latter;
that is to say they should become
the public lands of the United
States, to be disposed of as other
federal domain. Now there was
nothing wrong in all this so far.
But here comes the tug and tus.
sle: The Cherokees were a nu-
merous and powerful tribe; they
were evincing a wonderful degree
of vitality. Indeed as a people,
they were bidding fair to prove, in
the long run, quite as unextin-
guishable as the Jews themselves.
More than that, it came to be re-
garded by whites, negroes and all
other races, both an honor and a
privilege to become Cherokees;
and thousands who had not a drop
of Cherokee blood in their veins,
we're rapidly coming to be recog.
nized, in law, as veritable Chero'
KEGS. Under such circumstances
these corporations, of course. saw
that their chances for succeeding
ever to the estate thus conditional
ly granted, were hopeless; anC
their cupidity might, in an indef.
mite flow of years, chaie itself Il
death unrequited. To relieve tn,
situation a flank movement had t
be made.
The Cherokees had unfortunate
ly abandoned their ancient triba
form of government, aud had or
ganized themselves into a consti
/ tutional body polite, modelled af
ter the government of the Unitet
States. 1t was obvious howeve
that this must needs be quite al
ephemeral affair. All the force
: of CIVILIZATION might be easily mar
shaled against its existence 70
any great length Of time. Hence
E il the so-called Indian title to thes
lands wero only vested in thi
body polite, a beautiful visit
would be at once opened up int
the future that would enable thes
: corporations to see very clearl
b the time when they would hav
! the chance to lay their hands actr
/ ally upon the coveted prize
Hence a big and earnest work wa
= inaugurated by these corporation
the purpose of which was to secul
s the transfer OF this Indian It'll
from the Cherokee people and il
: vest it in this less enduring crei
ture, called the Cherokee nation
this feeble, frail, and dying bod
: polite. To aid them in this worl
r they enlisted many powerful force
both in congress and out of col
-, gress. Long and tough was th
struggle, 1866 to 1896. At lengt
$ the supreme court Of the Unite
, States, in it's late decision of tt
freedmen's case, was induced
a admit that the desires of the'
corporations were right. The laI
j guage of the court in that case,
! this: Although the title of thei
Cherokee lands was originally
;. and was understood to be, both b
the Indians themselves and II
9 United State, in the people con
) posing the Cherokee tribe, neve
9 theless, when they organize
II themselves into a constitution
4 body polite, this same title som
how slipped out Of the people ar
= crept into this body polite an
permanently invested itself ther
II is not our purpose here to cri
icise the common sense Of th
. dictum; it is our aim simply
d show what an Accommodate
n thing il is for the convenience