The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-07
Politics and Policies of Poor Lo

| Of Darlington, agent for the Cheyenne and
Arapahoes, is still in the city looking after
the interests of his people before the lesis-
lature. The Indians have made sufficient
progress in civilization 10 be an element
in the citizenship of Oklahoma and as leg
islation is intended to advance citizenship
10 a higher plane it is very natural that
Agent Woodson should be taking an inter-
est in il. AS Populists and Indians are
each comparatively, new elements in poll
tics. people may have curiosity TO know
what affinity, If any, they bear towards
each other. They stand together. shoulder
TO shoulder, in the common affinity OF ig-
norance and in the pronounced hate of pro-
gress and advancement In other respects,
notably a desire to be supported by the
government, they are very much in har-
| many; and yet an Indian would feel highly
insulted If anybody should size him up
with Populist for the purpose of compari-
son. An Indian, really. has too much sense
to be Populist and not enough sense 10
be Republican, and the result is that he
| is Democrat The Populists have no de-
fined policy regarding the Indians. They
| have known all along Of the existence or
Indians in Oklahoma, but they have never
| made any attempt TO inform themselves az
| to the Indians status with reference TO the
1 race III lldl SOIiuOHNcditAi. Aio
result is that in all their schemes of legis-
lation they did not consider the red man
for moment. He Is now knocking at the
door of the legislature, side by side with
Mrs Johns and her apostlesses for recogni-
ton and his political existence has dawn
| ed upon the Populists for the first time.
| The Democrats have longer heads and they
are alive TO the Importance Of the Indians
unexercised vote and influence. During
| the past four years the Democrats have
not been idle. They have had charge of
| the Indians and no effort was spared to
make them believe that they were their
| friends. Those four years may be said to
be the formative age OF the Indians con-
| ception of civil government and national
politics and the precise time when an i'm
preston could be made on their minds to
the best advantage-that first impression
| that has traditional endurance.
! The Cheyennes and Arapahoes are d.
vided into ten communities called farming
districts and each district has an overseer
who is good Democrat. Major Wood
son says that a mans political views are
not taken into consideration when he is
| chosen for appointment. but those who
know Hoke Smith would not like to bet
any money that there are any Republicans
|
| of district is an important fsctotum. He
must know little about everything in tbs
| line of farming, such as when to plant
corn, SOW wheat, how to build house, ar
| bitrate between an Indian and a rebelliou9
| sQuaw, when to sell cattle and a hundred
| different things. He must have both cleri-
| cal and executive ability also He must
| know every Indian in his charge not only
| by name but by sight and he is required
| to circulate freely among them for the pur-
| pose of ascertaining what progress he is
| making. He grades the Indians as a school
| teacher would grade her pupils and the
one hundred who have the most marks OF
merit at the end of year get 100 nice red
| farm wagons as a reward. The bad In
dams are deprived Of their rations. The
result is that since the Indians learned that
| they could cash in their good behavior for
red farm wagons they have made consid-
erablc advancement. The punishment re-
ferred to Is equally potent In stimulating
| the Indians TO become good. BY being de-
prived of their ratons they are given an
object lesson on the theory that crime
| against the government is visited with GER
tain punishment. For long time they pro-
tested against this species of punishment
as an infringement on their rights bur
| to them was an evidence of the generosity
of the government and not in any sense an
| evidence of the obligation of the govern
ment. No treaty stipulation exists wherein
the government Is obliged to furnish rations
to the Indians. Another ancient custom
among the Cheyennes and Arapahoes has
been assailed and crippled by the agent
who acted by and with the advice and con-
sent OF the commissioners of Indian az
fairs. and that Is the custom of electing
chiefs to be the spokesman for their tribes.
At present the chiefs are not recognized
although they still keep up a show of dig
nifty and authority. The plan now prevail
ing is this: The agent appoints two or
three Indians in each district to be the
spokesman for their people and his ear Is
gwen to no one else but them. They are
commissioned regularly by him and he In
sists on the other Indians showing proper
respect to such commissions. These men
are selected from educated Indians or be-
cause they manifest symptoms of progress
or desire TO advance. The idea is 10 make
the Indians believe that he who runs ahead
of his people, in the wake OF the star of
progress, is the one who viii be honored
and recognized by the government and its
agents. There Is always contention be-
at the present time trouble is at a mini
mum, or would be had il not been for some
difficulty arising out Of the issue of beef
from the block instead OF on the hoof "a
heretofore. Some 500 Indians refused to
take the beef in this way and as result
there is a surplus of beef cattle Oh hand
amounting 20 over 5000 in cash value.
Under the old system cattle were issued on
the hoof 10 the Indians. by beef districts
consisting OF communities OF twenty-five
families. There are always leaders OF
boodhng disposition in each community and
the result was that most OF the meat was
given 10 few Indians and some OF the old
people were slighted altogether or given in
adequate rstions. Under the present syS-
tenn, butcher shops are In operation in each
community and the butchers get the hides
for their services. Every two weeks the
Indians bring their ration tickets 10 these
butchers and get fifteen pounds of beef for
each member of the family, including the
children. who are away at school and fed
at government expense. The more chr-
VIII be for each member of the family al
home. This is a very powerful incentive
for parents 10 send their children 20 school
bat not more powerful than the fact that
II they keep a child OF school age al home
they viii Fl no raiions for that child and
the result Is that the child will be biting
into the rations given TO the members CT
the family who are not OF school age. The
entire Indian system is Interesting
DAVID d IEAHT