Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-07-01
THE LAST CONFERENCE.

| your time and let these people
hinder you. | don't think il
would be a good thing for anyone,
but | tell you it will be sure to
come. Your people back in the
hills don't realize, in regard to
that, what a precipice or volcano
they are standing on. We have
seen il illustrated. l have heard
it talked; we have always talked
against it, but within the last two
weeks | have seen evidences and
symptoms of /, growing, and it will
come just as sure az | sit here.
Now all of these things are the
reasons why l would like to see
this thing settled by the Cherokees.
| would like to see these five tribes
come in as separate and inde.
pendent state. would like to see
them have their governmental ex.
istence long enough to get every.
thing in good shape, so that when
you come in il will be gradual
your people could be accustomed
to the new order OF things, and you
would not be over.run until you
were able to fight your own battles
and act and do like the other peo-
pie. Oklahoma is not going to stay
a territory; they are not going to
stay that way. don't say this in
any threatening manner, and in
fact it is something that you know.
You all read the papers and under.
stand and know those things to be
facts just as well as do, but IL you
will pay attention you will see
things are drifting that way fast.
IL is nearer than il has been and it
is getting more and more so. We
were discussing it among ourselves
the other day. People who live
in that section Of the country. and
other people; people from Wash.
ington and Kansas City, are dis
cussing it, and tits the general i'm
preston that that territory will
come in with this as one state, and
that this nation will be swallowed
up by Oklahoma and that will be
the last of it. 1t is not for our
selves that we are striving to sue.
ceed. As far az we are concerned,
we can afford to let it go along and
the matter will be taken care of by
legislation. In fact, that bill is
more plastic than | thought it was
when | left Washington-a great
deal more. | have expressed my
opinion, but am on the side of the
Cherokees in this matter. There
is not a feeling in my breast
against them, and particularly in
regard to the fullblood element.
Mr.. Montgomery-As l under
stand it now, your commission ap-
peals for further time-I suppose
week or ten days-because /
don't suppose the fullbloods back
in the woods could find out sooner
than that, if they could even then.
Now, let us look at the question
practically: The Cherokee coun.
Gil has appointed you gentlemen as
commissien-not to make a
treaty with our commission which
would be binding upon your peo-
pie or council, or that is absolute
ly binding upon anybody; but to
come here and sit down with us
and see ii we could not come to
terms which would be acceptable
to your council and people, they
having ultimately TO say as to
whether it should be a treaty or
not. Now, we could not be with
you five whole weeks without
knowing substantially the feeling
of your commission, and as l un.
derstand it, part of your commits
sion is in favor of treating and do
ing what you were appointed to do,
and a part, not. Your commission
was appointed to treat with this
commission. Am mistaken
about that? (Mr. Rogers tells him
that is right.) You are sent here
to treat with us-not whether
somebody back in the mountains
wanted you to or not-but the
council wants you to treat with us
and the council reserves the right
to determine whether that treaty
should stand after it was made.
Supposing we we're to sit up here
and say TO you, when you talked
about treating; "Well, we don't
know; there are some members of
congress who don't exactly under.
stand the meaning of the question.
and we want to wait and know
whether they endorse it?" Sup.
posing we were TO say that. We
were not sent for that purpose, nor
were you sent here for Chat pur.
pose. You were sent for the pur-
pose Of making a treaty. That is
your duty, and if you have not got
the courage to do your duty be.
cause somebody is opposed to ii,
you ought to resign your place and
90 home, and put somebody else
in your place and let them make it;
then letihe people say at the polls
whether they want it or not, where
they can determine. You can't
sit down here and find out whether
the outsiders want it or not simply
by letting somebody come from
the woods and say so. But to
come down to myself. | may not
long be a member of this commits
sion, but | am interested just the
same, ald il comes down to Just
this; 1t is utter folly for us to
wait here upon people who have
not the courage, Notwithstanding
tile fact that the national council
sent You here for that purpose-lo