Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-05-27
r0n.onAs.rEE Ar rAnLEQuAa.
lie Very Clearly Sizes Up The situation
And Discusses ft.

tain should be satlshed out OIL tne
national property before allotment
should take place. The townlot
claimants urge by way of argument
that the country at large is very
much indebted to them for valua-
BILE services rendered; they built a
city for the people, which, If they
had not benevolent'y volunteered
their services TO do, the poor peo-
pie of this country would be today
without an emporium in their
midst, and have to go away to
other distant towns to buy their
supplies, if not be denied the priv
ilege. of getting them at all. This
argument is very effective; IL is an
appeal to the sympathetic instincts
of human nature. Think of II;
| Just - see all the good people Of
Cooweescoowee district suffering
for sugar and coffee, dry goods and
bananas, simply because we have
no men to build a Vinita in which
they could be hadl The spectacle
truly is enough to fill the commun-
ity with a sense of harmless terror
harmless because these fellows
have bravely met the calamity in
our behalf and shielded us from its
miseries.
And yet, after all, these our de-
liverers were pretty tardy in their
relief expedition; IL was not until
after the people came in and filled
up the country around in numbers
sufficient to furnish them the
means with which to do this great
work of benevolence, that they
could be persuaded to lay a single
brick.
The Delawares are on hand as
serting a claim against the Chero-
KEGS who kindly took them in
when they were needing a home.
They maintain that they are en-
titled to all the 157 800 acres, the
occupancy of which was guaranteed
to them in the contract of adop-
ton; that those who are living are
to be the heirs of those who have
died and that being Cherokees by
adoption, they are, in addition to
all this, to have an equal share
with the Cherokees in all the rest
Of the public domain. They have
procured an order from the con-
stituted authorities at Washington
directed to the Dawes commission
commanding them to set aside
157 600 acres of the Cherokee pub
lie domain for the exclusive bene.
fit of the Delawares, that is to say,
the old registered Delawares,
| (what of them are still living) and
not include the same in the process
of allotment.
That SO arbitrary and unjust an
order should issue is hardly credi-
BILE. 1t is an unconsidered ex.
ecutive act on part of the govern.
ment, such as has never before oc.
Cured in the history of the Cher,
okee people. 1t is an invasion oI
the rights of property, in utter dis
regard of all form of law. 1t il
simply this: two men, Mr.. John
Bullette and Mr.. Dick Adams, &c
to Washington and present tn EN-
selves before the executive anc
say, eve want you, sir, 10 take
great piece of property away
from the Cherokees and give it (
u.s." s"All right, gentlemen, al
right" and so he just up and die
it without the least inquiry into
the rights of his petitioners to tn,
property they asked for.
1t is true that along with the or,
II der came a few select citations
(culled doubtless by some impe
cunious lawyer skirmishing fol
bread from the opinion of the su
preme court in the old Delawar,
per capita case, yet having NJ
more reference to the real merits
+ Of the claim than so many passages
from the book of Norman.
/ feel confident that the presi
dent, when the matter has beef
, brought fully to his attention, viii
not approve this act on the part o
his secretary. / do not believe thu
Cherokee cln be induced to con
clude an eaty until all these ex
orbitant claims are disposed of
and gotten out of the way; il woul
, not be advisable. Suppose allot
! ment should take place, thes
claims all pending as they nov
, are; every mans farm in the coun
: try would be under cloud
Moreover the burden Of clearin
the title Of these individual hold
ings would then devolve upon tn
, allottee; and if, in the contest, tn
claim should happen to be sustain
, ed by the court, he would be beat
] en- out Of his home, or at least
good portion Of it.
The Dawes commission, | think
! are not much cor oerned abou
these claims. " hatever will b
satisfactory to the Cherokee com
! mission will be likely to be salts
: factory to them. There are onl
two things that the Dawes me
will stick for; they will deman
that that the Cherokees shall allo
> their lands, and also that the
: shall make provisions in the treat
I for the abolition of their India
government within some reason
! able period of time, II not a. pres
i ent.
In reference to the Delawar
! claim, it is TO be hoped that In
: principal chief may at once in
struct his delegation at Washing
ton to wait upon the president an
solicit his interposition; for 1t /
highly probable that negotiation
T, will be seriously embarrassed. un
i til that order OF the secretary sci