Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-12
CREEK CHIEF ISPARHECHER OP-
POSES RATIFICATION.
MESSAGE TO CREEK COUNCIL.
ALLOTMENT OF LANDS HAS ALWAYS
PROVEN DISASTROUS.
Tribe Advised Never to Try 1t Again
-TestinE of the Constitutional
Rights of the Tribe In the
United States Supreme
Court Urged.
Tribe Advised

Muskosee, 7. T., Oct. 11.-(Special) Chief
Isparhecher has sent special message TO
the Creek council, in session at OkmuSee,
l. T., regarding the treaty recently agreed
upon by the Dawes and Creek commissions.
1t is as follows:
ITO the National Council of the Muskosee
Nation.
"Gentlemen-I herewith transmit the
report and treaty recently concluded by
your commission with the commission on
the part of the United States for your con-
sideration 1t will be observed by you
that it provides for the allotment of our
lands and the determination of our tribal
title. / regard the features of the treaty
as being very dangerous. and therefore
very Objectionable. Allotment of lands to
Indians has heretofore proven disastrous
in every instance, and Is sure to result ike
wise to us when we try it. 1t is q system
of holding land entirely new to our people
Some of us, however. tried the said ex-
perience in Georgia and Alabama a little.
over half century ago, resulting in our
final removal therefrom. My advice is
to never try it again. Our system of land
tenure has proven successful and salts
factory to us through all the years of our
tribal existence. Never have We had
homeless wanderer during all that time,
nor are we likely to have one SO long as
we continue to hold our lands as we now
do. We now hold our lands by the united
power of two ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and
local. BY allotment we substitute the
power Of one individual for the power of
our government. Each one of our citi-
zens will then have to employ the protec-
tive power over his realty that has been
afforded him by the local governments. In
other words every citizen will take upon
himself the duty of protecting his home
| that is now being done by the combined
wisdom and and str, strength of OF tt the Muskogee gee
responsibility of coping single handed with
the avaricious land sharks of the Ameri-
can continent.
Many of the shrewdest and most en-
| Iightened citizens of the United States are
homeless, simply because they are unable.
| sharpers. We now have no suits about land
| titles. for our land titles are not disputable.
and never will be until we ailot our lands.
them as they are in Oklahoma. We now
pay no tax on our lands, and never will
until we allot: then the tax gatherers will
our lands. Therefore, l advise you to
before Accepting @ this treaty. 'le'' 'a'''
| Il think it far better for us to stand firm
| for the treaties we have. and plead the
orable means. than enter into this agree
| ment. fail to see any betterment of our
| conditions by this agreement, but, to the
| ly to our detriment.
but you have had my views on this SUBJ
| ject heretofore, and do not deem 1t neces-
| sary to add any more at this time. to evil
dence to you my reason for my opposition
to the changes provided for by this agree
ment. am aware that the United States
| government Is urging us to change our re-
lations with her. and has expended consid--
in maintaining a commission for the past
| three years, but all of this has been done at
the option Of the government and not at
Of these things, but they have been asked
for by yielding. unsoclable boomers, who are
always o on II the IT,, trail ais Of l. the Indian until
when we make this treaty they will be
the people to first throng this country to
a question as to the ownership of our lands.
THE boomers are hungry for them and
1t seems the only means for making them
| remains for you to decide whether or no
| you will make your government a party to
this scheme of the boomers. No; we have
| lotment of our lands, but we have frequent
| ly requested the government to remove
from our country the intruders. which re-
| quests have never been Needed although
| solemnly- guaranteed by existing treaties.
If intruders cannot be removed from our
will they be removed by the promises of a
| new treaty to do so? 1t seems that the
Cherokees have tried both, and found new
| treaties no better than old ones. On this
| subject believe We will have the same ex-
| perience when we try it. For this reason
| withheld my approval of the act of your
| called session last August authorizing your
| commission to treat. At that session of
| council presented to you my wishes as to
Bile course for us to pursue. At this time
| I am still of the opinion that we should
| test our constitutional rights before the
| supreme court of the United States, and
provisions should be made at once for pro-
| curing the ablest counsel to represent us.
| I'm conclusion. gentlemen permit me to
| I Qn6Qavnrad Tn Sonf
| to you my views on the subject, and feel in
this have discharged my duty. and indulge
the hope that you will consider the question
| In the same spirit of earnestness that has
! actuated me and discharge the duty that
| you owe your constituents intelligently
to be. very respectfully your obedient serv-
| ant, ISPARHECHER,
| Principal Chief NJ. M