Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-06-24
DELAWARE DOWNING CONVENTION.
The Ticket as Nominated and also the
Platform.

Platform.
The Downing party of Delaware
district met in general convention
last Saturday and placed ticket
in the field for the August election,
According to an agreement, the
east side Of Grand river met at the
court house and nominated one
candidate for the senate, three for
the national council, one for sher-
if and one for solicitor. The west
side met at Alton and nominated a
candidate for the senate, three for
the national council, one for dis.
trict judge, and one for district
clerk. The ticket in its entirety is
as follows:
Senate-B. +. Lamar, ]. X.
Hastings; council - Tom Blue
jacket, Ben Half, George Fincan.
non, JEFF Dick, John Gibson;
sheriff-Joe Marion England; ;clerk
w. P. Mccullough; solicitor
Simps Melton; judge-Jas. B.
Woodall.
The following platform was
unanimously adopted:
PLATFORM OF DOWNING PARTY.
The Downing party of Delaware
district, in convention assembled,
standing on the Threshold of a
great national crisis that has nulli-
fed and made void all our future
enactments without the consent of
the president, and destroyed the
jurisdiction of our courts, thereby
destroying our existence as a ma.
ton and virtually absorbing and
making US citizens OF the United
States without our consent and in
violation of treaty stipulations:
Therefore, in view Of these facts
and in view of the further fact that
we have no choice in this matter,
we believe il to he the duty of all
good citizens Of the Cherokee ma.
ton without regard to party, to
lay aside all party differences and
make the best terms possible with
the United States commissioner
We therefore outline the following
policy to be pursued by our peo-
pie without regard to past party
differences OF race distinctions:
We agree to accept a Just and
equal allotment of all of our lands
among all of our citizens without
regard TO race or color, so soon as
the following agreed treaty stipu.
lations on the part of the United
States have been complied with:
/. The immediate removal of
all intruders whose cases have
been decided, by the United States
as agreed under the sale of our
lands west Of 96 degrees.
2. The payment of 81, 300 600
found due US by an accounting
made under the terms of said
treaty; also compensation for our
public buildings, and for land con-
demned for public highways, and
the per capita payment Of our in
vested funds.
3. An express agreement on the
part of the United States that the
railroads are TO have no lands out.
side Of a right-of-way and what
may be used for depots, water
tanks and switches now in their
possession and used for the above
purposes. We further demand
that they shall be confined TO their
right-oi-way as at present located,
without right to change the same
with a view OF destroying towns
and townsites.
A. We are opposed to laying of
town sites in our country for pur-
poses Of outside speculation, but
we favor liberal policy towards
our own citizens who now owI
town lots for purposes Of residence
and business.
B. We favor the passage of 4
law by our next council that viii
break up a monopoly of our public
domain and allow the homeless tC
select their land preparatory to al
lotment by limiting each citizen tc
the amount TO which he will be en-.
titled on just and equal division
Of the same.
q. We are opposed TO making
large reservations Of mineral land
to be sold or leased and held in
common for the benefit of all, but
favor an equal division Of all ouI
lands among all our citizens al
soon as practicable.
Z. We denounce as traitors and
public enemies deserving the So
verest penalty Of the law those
officials who in the name of purg
ing the Wallace roll added thereto
thousand names by which they
were enabled TO draw from the
public treasury sl26,0O0 without
warrants and squandered 100, 0,0OC
acres OF our public domain as a re-
] ward for their iTeachery. And w