Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-12-09
THE PRESIDENTS VIEWS.
The Indian Problem as Set Forth in
the Message.

THE PRESIDENTS VIEWS.
The Indian Problem as Set Forth in
the Message.
That portion of the presidents
message which relates to the SUBJ
ject of Indian affairs is as follows:
For a number of years past it
has been apparent that the condi-
tions under which the five civil
lied tribes were established in the
Indian Territory under treaty pro-
visions with the United States,
with the right of self-government
and the exclusion of all white per-
sons from within their borders,
have undergone so complete a
change as to render the continuance
of the system thus inaugurated
practically impossible. The total
number of the five civilized tribes
as shown by the last census, is
45, ,494, and this number has not
materially increased, while the
white population is estimated at
from 100000 to IA million, which
by permission of the Indian gov
ernment, has settled in the terri
tory. The present area OF the IT,
dian Territory contains 1854, 564
acres, much of which is very fer
tile land.
The United States citizens re-
siding in the territory, most of
whom have gone there by invita-
ton or with the consent of the
tribal authorities, have made per-
manent homes for themselves.
Numerous towns have been built
in which from 500 to 5000 white
people now reside. Valuable res
licences and business houses have
been erected in many of them.
Large business enterprises are car
ried on;in which vast sums of mon
ey are employed.
And yet these people, who have
invested their capital in the de-
velopment of the productive re-
sources of the country, ere with
out title to the land they occupy
and have no voice whatever in the
government either of the nations
or tribes. Thousands of their
children, who were born in the
territory are Of school age, but the
doors of the schools of the nation
are shut against them and what
education they get is by private
contribution. No provision for the
protection of the life or property
OF these white citizens is made by
the tribal governments and courts.
The secretary of the interior re-
ports that leading Indians have
absorbed great tracts of land 10
the exclusion OF the common peo-
pie and government by an Indian
aristocracy has been practically es-
tablished, to the detriment of the
people. 1t has been found impos-
sible for the United States to keep
its citizens out of the territory and
the executory conditions contained
in treaties with these nations have
for the most part become impossi-
BILE of execution. Nor has it been
possible for the tribal government
to secure to each individual Indian
his full enjoyment in common
with other Indians Of the common
property of the nations.
Negotiations are yet to be had
with the Cherokees, the m ost pop
ulous of the five civilized tribes,
and with the Seminoles, the small
est in point of numbers and terri
tory.
The provision in the Indian ap-
preparation act, approved June 10.
1896, makes it the duty of the
commission to investigate and de-
termine the rights OF applicants
for citizenship in the five civilized
tribes. The commission is at
present engaged in this work
among the tribes, and has made
appointments for taking the census
of these people up to and includ-
ing the Both of the present month.
Should the agreement between
the Choctaws and Chickasaws be
ratified by congress, and should
the other tribes fail to make an
agreement with the commission,
then it will be necessary that some
legislation shall be had by congress
which, while just and honorable
TO the Indians, shall be equitable
to the white people who have set
tied upon these lands by invita-
tion of the tribal nations.
The Hon. Henry l. Dawes,
chairman of the commission, in
letter to the secretary of the in
terror, under the date of October
IL, 1897, says: Individual own
ership is in their (the commits
sion's) opinion absolutely essen
tial to any permanent improve
ment in present conditions, and
the lack of it is the root of nearly
all the evils which so grievously
afflict these people. Allotment by
agreement is the only possible
method, unless the United States
courts are clothed with the author
ity to apportion the lands among
the citizen Indians for those whose
use it was originally granted"
| concur with the Secretary of
the Interior that there can be no
cure for the evils engendered by
the perversion of these great
trusts, excepting by their resumpt-
ion by the government which cre-