The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-05
FIGHTS POST TRADERS
New York Evening Pest Takes
Up the Cause &
OF THE Usage INDIANS
New York Tribune Mixes in
the Fight on Barnes.

Guthrie. o. +, Aug. EThe New York
papers have lately taken great interest
In the affairs Of Oklahoma. The New York
Tribune is trying to stir up trouble
against Governor Barnes. for ne,item and
now comes the New York Evening Post
in an effort to save the noble red man
from the willy traders. The attempt oc-
ours In dispatch to the Post from Wash
ington which says: 1t may be remember
ed that an attempt was made in the last
congress to enact a law for the diversion
OF money held by the government in trust
for the Usage Indians to the payment Of
'the debts of the Indians to some of the
focal traders. The lobbyists who made
this proposal argued very earnestly that
the traders were good friends Of the In
!dians and let them have credit when
needed, and that therefore such legisla-
rion was In the nature of the recognition
of a Just claim. But too many Of the
members understood the situation to per-
unit any such plea to prevail. They knew
that the traders would simply go on let
hing the Indians increase, their credits in
definitely II the government showed it
self ready 20 stand behind the white credi-
tor. So plain was the whole game that
not q decent man on the Indian COM
mittee - OF tieeohrhuse shrdl hr ldurdulJ
.pnitsee OF either house could be induced
to support It, and the legislation fell
Through. On firm of these Usage traders
mas now turned up in a new scheme. The
l4Meiklejohn uduor law forbids the bring
Ding Of intoxicants upon and Indian lands
under the supervision Of an agent, no
matter whether allotted or unallotted. 1t
took years upon years Of hard work to
quill that law through congress, and the
department Of the interior has been con-
graduating itself ever since that it will
rbe able now to keep the liquor men in
.Hheck even IN places where the Indians
have become citizens and voters, but have
not yet passed out from under govern
hnent tutelage. Now comes a firm of
Araders, including one Indian and one
white man, with a proposal that It be
granted the privilege of introducing alco-
bnolic spirits into it's stock in trade, with
Rne UNDERSTANDING lnaL lnelT use Snall De
confined to the compromising Of medicines. /,
The secretary Of the interior. seeihe
Saw prohibiting liquor traffic among the
Through this disguised attack upon the
INDIANS, promptly put his heel on the pro-
beet. The traders we're indignant, and
Through their legal representatives have
declared that they will have the refusal
lof the secretary Of the interior overrid-
den by an order from the secretary Of war
there being a statutory provision that the
prohibition shall be modified under GER
haln conditions by the military authori-
ny. In view OF the fact that, in all the
years that the government has had charge
bf the Indians, no such pressing need for
khe use Of alcholic spirits for medicinal
purposes has occurred before. and that the !
demand now comes. not from physician |
or any other professional quarter, but !
from q firm Of traders. with an eye to /
business solely, It is not likely that the /
secretary of war will grant the desired |
permit The incident is Of interest chief I
~ as illustrative of the truth Of the old |
proverb that "the devil never goes to |
Sleep"