Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-07-27
LOCATING THE BLAM {.
All Cherokee Political ills
ChargeabIe to DOwnings.

EDITOR CHIEFTAIN:-Hon. I. NJ.
Burlington, in his letter of accept
ance, says:
1.-The gradual restriction of the
powers of our government by leg
islation of the federal congress
and the abolition of our laws and
judicial department, and the fur
ther assumption of control and su-
pervisory authority of the federal
powers have left us but the mere
semblance OF the government
which we once enjoyed"
Sad state of affairsl We have
come down to the mere "semb-
lance" of that vigorous govern
ment which We once enjoyed.
When was that? When was i
that we were enjoying that good
government of which our present
political condition is a mere semb-
lance, only a shadow? Appeal tC
history. Do not the facts tell this
kind of a story: That when the
Downing supremacy succeeded the
National the Cherokee government
was existing sound in all its parts
and untouched by the fatal finger
of dissolution? That the nation
was well-nigh out of debt and her
securities going in the market at
par? And that peace, prosperity
and plenty were manifest in all
quarters among the people? Do
not the facts testify that our ma
tional decline commenced just at
the point of time when the Down
ing party came into power and got
control of the government? This
is history; and the candidate for
chief on the Downing ticket, in his
letter of acceptance, admits, and
seems TO deplore, the truth of ii.
The decline and fall of our nation
is confined to the period embraced
within the ascendancy of the
Downing party, and the catastro-
ply is mainly chargeable to that
long succession of imbecile Down
ing administrations.
But Mr.. Burlington charges the |
downfall of our nation to destruct-
I've federal legislation and inter
ference. Now, in this he is GER
tainly right. These, indeed, were |
the immediate blows that knocked |
the breath out of our nation; but |
who put these deadly blows into
motion, or caused them tn fall |
upon our country? That is the
vital question in the argument.
Let the members OF congress
and the Dawes commission testify |
upon this point. Consult their
official reports and speeches, both
in congress and out, and il will be
seen that all this fatal federal leg
islation was based on the neces-
sity of something being done by
the government TO relieve the
Cherokee country from the awful
condition into which il had been
precipitated by the discreditable
inefficiencies OF these Downing ad
ministrations. Every service in
the government was made a sub
ject OF open speculation; the reve-
nues were pocketed or left uncol-
lected; the national debt was al
lowed to increase from year to
year, without any provisions being
made for its payment; our public
schools were marketed to the
highest bidders; our national coun-
Gil assumed the form of a mere
committee, for the pass
age Of claims and the contriving
OF jobs; our courts of justice were
charged with venality; and in the ;
language of Mr.. Dawes of Massa- !
chusetts and Senator Plat of Con-
neclicut, corruption everywhere, :
in all the departments of the gov :
eminent, was "open and unblush-
ng." .
1t was the existence of this hOr. Z
rible state of things in the coun.
Try, all resulting from the ineffi-
,iency OF those Downing admins
that called down upon :
hat "drastic" legislation which :
he candidate of the Downing ;
party says has reduced our Chero- :
iee nation down to a mere "semb- ;
ance" of what it used to be, =
mere shadow of its proud and glo- )
-ious self before the Downing party z
anne into nnMer- loo orA srFE Z.