Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-02-17
TOO-QUA-STEE WRITES
An Open Letter TO Hon. ChaS. Curtis
NC.

My DEAR SIR:
1t has not been my fortune to be
honored with a personal acquaint-
ance with you. Therefore, by way
of introduction, suffice it simply to
say that | am an individual be-
longing 10 the older generation OF
Cherokees now living; and have a
reasonable solicitude for the rights
and weIlbeing OF my people.
| have carefully read the bill in
congress by the terms of which
you propose to revolutionize the
institutions of our country. As a
compulsory measure in avowed
disregard of former agreements, it
is good, perhaps the best that could
be reasonably expected; certainly
better than anything that has been
as yet arrived at by amicable ne
gotiation; certainly not worse than
the best that the Cherokees had
good reason to believe attainable
in their behalf by means of an
agreement with the Dawes COM
mission.
Yet, in conceding so much, |
would not be understood as finding
no fault with the bill.
perceive, for instance, that it
provides for the allotment of only
the use and occupation of our
lands. This feature of the bill is
Objectionable from sevsral points
of view.
1. Suppose the allottee should
die; what then is to become of the
land covered by this allotment?
This use and occupation expire;
because there is nobody living to
keep it up. The land is now the
common property of the Cherokee
people, and is in the use and occu-
patton of nobody. What is to be
done with it? Will it be again
subjected 10 allotment and award
ed to somebody else? If so, to
whom? To the heirs of the de-
ceased, or to others? Would it
be likely, in such an event, to be-
come a sweet morsel to be coveted
and grabbed at by speculation?
These are contingencies of much
practical importance; yet your bill
makes no adequate provisions for
meeting them. Under the bill as
it now stands, the administration
of our landed interest Is likely to |
prove a matter of endless perplexi-
ty and embarrassment.
2. The effect OF this kind of |
will be to retain our
Cherokee lands universally in
alienable; it will give us all the
restrictions of land in severalty
but, at the same time, deny us the
benefit of the chief element of that
Kind of property-lts alienability.
1t is principle in the science of
that an article for which
here is no market value, is in nine
,ases out ten, but a drug and bur-
len upon the hands of its owner.
There generally comes a time in
he life of a man, when it would be
Detter for him to convert his land
nto money, especially along in
he last days of his old age when
Ie can not utilize it in raising his
upport from it with his own
ands; the money would serve
i'm a much better purpose. 1t is {
asy to conceive of a thousand diff /
erent ways in actual life in which
his truth might be further illus 1
rated.
There are some cases undoubt- 4
dly among the Cherokees, as t
lere are always any where else, q
! which it would not be best for u
le party to have control of the c
e of the land which he enjoys. s
here could be no fault found with t
lie bill for Withholding the abso- [,
tie title from such persons. But 0
lat is, by no means, the condi- Il
on of the average Cherokee. II
Permit me, sir, in view of these Il
cts, respectfully to suggest in c