Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-19
HURTS DELAWARE INDIANS
Complain Of an Attempt to Rob Them Of
Homes and Improvements.
WHITE MEN ARE AFTER THEIR LANDS
Large Properties acquired from the
Federal Government In Danger of
Bcing swallowed Tn by
a Syndicate.

Federal Government In Danger of
BEING Swallowed Tn by
Syndicate.
WASHINGTON, July 1S.-(Special Corre-
spondence.) Certain Cherokees and inter-
married white men. relatives Of the oonstt-
tuted authorities of the Cherokee Nation,
have secured mineral leases from the said
authorities covering the homes and i'm
provements Of the Delaware Indians, and
they have subleased the same to citizens of
the United States. These citizens claim to
have expended some twenty odd thousand
dollars in putting down eighteen wells, and
for this reason they claim a preferred right
to lease from the secretary of the interior
over 1870, 900 acres of land, covering most OF
the homes Of the Delaware Indians. without
respect to their rights and without their
consent. A number of protests have been
filed against the granting of these leases
and calling the attention of the secretary OF
the interior to the exact condition of affairs,
begging that no action be taken until the
courts fully determine the rights OF the
Delawares and congress provides a remedy.
R. c. Adams. himself a Delaware Indian
and their representative, says that he wrote
the letter to the Indian Rights association
"iiNh NuuoVu So hhNh pul thuI
he did not suppose that 1t would be given
out for publication. However, he says he has
nothing to retract In his appeal for aid and
for moral support in defending the homes
Of the Delawares against the encroaching
greed Of gTasping syndicates who are seek
Ing to deprive them Of their rightful liber-
ies-the right to control their own. Mr..
Adams said:
IT'S n Great Puzzle to Him.
The Delaware Indians are more able to
take care Of their property, if given the
opportunity OF controlling 1t, than most Of
the white people who live In their country.
There are many things civilized laws and
public policy say are right that | canout un-
derstand, but the greatest puzzle to me Is
why is the Delawares' title to their lands
now disputed and they required by the gov
eminent to appeal to the courts to obtain
that which they bought and paid for With
the advice, approval and guarantee OF the
United States government itself. Now, he
fore that question is settled by the courts
they are threatened with even greater COM
plications. Possibly 1t Is because / an an
Indian that 1 cannot understand this policy.
The faith my people have shown, the prompt
aid and assistance they have rendered the
United States government IN the past as
allies in the Revolutionary war, as soldiers
and scouts in the Mexican and Civil wars, as
guides for General Fremont across the
Rocky mountains, as peacemakers betw cen
other Indian tribes nd the Federal govern
ment, and the prot, .tion afforded by them
to the colonies in early days. all these are
enough of themselves to entitle them to
more land in bounties and grants, fifty
times over, than the land now in question,
which they bought and paid for.
In 1890 the Cherokee delegates fully
recognized the Delawares' title to the lands.
and in a communication to the senate com
mittee on Indian affairs, they declared they
had no rights or interest in it. The same
year the chief of the Cherokee Nation, ]. B.
Mayes, and delegates, addressed a communi-
cation to the committee on Indian affairs
asking that the United States government
pay out per capita to the Delawares the trust
fund, almost 81, 900, 900, belonging to them,
and the reason assigned for this request was
that the Delawares might be enabled to
make permanent improvements upon their
homes in the Cherokee Nation. This large
sum Of money was paid out to the Della wares
according to the request and the Delawares
used the same in making good and substan-
tial homes.
An investigation revealed the fact that the
Delawares have excellent homes and more
than 100, 900 acres of land in cultivation, al
though numbering less than 1000 souls.
Their land is rich with valuable mineral de-
pcsits, such as lubricating oils, gas, coal,
w. ava q thiD ~ thtll
misfortune, since they are Indians. because
they have no money left in the hands OF the
government, and, If deprived OF their rights
in the Cherokee Nation, they are paupers.
If, however, the Delawares should succeed
in winning on the lines they are now fight
ing they will be among the richest people in
the world.
Find They Are in n Bad Hole.
AS is known, the Cherokees are the
wealthiest nation of Indians in the world.
They have a large fund in the hands of the
government, and this has been made larger
by money contributed by the Delawares,
who claim an interest in the fund, but have
no means of obtaining any portion of 1t to
defend what they contend for as their rights.
In a word, the Delawares find themselves
in a bad hole. They are disarmed, having
by purchase and improvements invested
over 81, 000, 900 in Cherokee lands under the
guarantee of the protection of the govern
ment, as well as sacred pledges made by the
Cherokees.
The now almost extinct tribe of Indians are
confronted with this startling condition of
affairs and, are making vigorous efforts to
have themselves righted. If the government
decides that the companies or syndicates
have preferred rights to lease over $50, 900
acres of land, embracing most of the homes
of the Delaware Indians, and upon which
they have expended more than 81, 900, 900,
then they are practically paupers. Repre-
sentative Adams says that the claims of the
would-be lessees that they have expended
about $40, 900, and IL compelled to lose 1t
they would be forced to a great hardship,
should not be taken into consideration when
it is remembered that they are trespassers
and should be compelled to pay the Della
wares damages. He says that the full
blooded Cherokees are friends of the Della
wares and oppose any further leasing Of
lands in the Cherokee nation, but that 1t
Is the mixed bloods and intermarried white
men in combination with capitalists from
the states who are trying to pauperize the
Delawares.
The fight is on and Mr.. Adams says that
while he has spent large sums OF money
and made many personal sacrifices in de-
Tending the rights and protecting the inter-
ests Of the Delawares, he proposes to keep
1t up. He says that he has reviewed their
history and the events relating to them and
a.