The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-27
DOWN WITH TRADERS
Is the Slogan of the Indians
Eastern Friends.
FREE TRADE" THE CURE
For the Infamies Practised
Under Existing Laws,

friends of the Indian, which friends re
side largely in the east, are getting ready
TO make final onslaught on the calling
of Indian traders. This is being brought
about by the incessant succession OF
scandal at Indian agencies in or near
| Oklahoma. The Indian trader has q
licensed privilege and he does not al
ways treat it fairly. If he does not, and
in the abuse of it, has the connivanee OF
the agent, trouble, and from Washington,
| is inevitable.
The latest trouble is in the Usage ma
| ton. 1t is brought on by an attack from
| Ransom Payne on Indian Agent Pollock.
! 1t is significant that the eastern news
papers in discussing the charges against
! Pollock. dismiss them lightly and launch
bodily into the question of traders. One
New York paper typical Of the Indio-
maniac class. says:
Charges have been filed with the secre-
tary of the interior against William j.
Pollock, agent for the Usage Indians in
Oklahoma, accusing him of conducting
his agency in the interest of the licensed
traders on the reservation as opposed to
those of the Indians. He has been in Of
fee about two years, and the charges
assert that during that time no restraint
apparently has been placed upon the
traders and their business cronies. the
white cattlemen. who are seeking cheap
pasturage on the Indian lands; so that
now hundreds of thousands of acres of
these lands have been fenced and white
mems herds turned into them.
BY way of showing how such things are
managed, single illustrative instance is
cited in the charges. Ben Strike-AXe, an
Usage educated at Carlisle school. ran
into debt to a trader to the amount of
about 81 100. His wife, who was hopeless
ly i'll, was induced to sign, jointly with
him, promissory note for this amount
and at her death soon afterwards the
lease of farm she owned fell thus into
the traders hands. A similar trick was
played on Ben's father who died about
the same time. The trader meanwhile
had been pressing Ben very hard, and
had secured practically all the annuity
money paid by the government to him
and his family Of five persons. The
trader kept account of all these trans
actions, never rendered a balance-sheet
to the Indian, and contrived, by heavy
interest charges and the like, TO prevent
any considerable credit from going upon
his books in Ben's favor. When it is re-
membered that an Indian rarely realizes
his responsibility when he contracts
debt. and that, when he finds himself
thus hurdened and is annoyed by dun
ming, he is ready to sikh away leases or
anything else which will purchase tenn
porary relief from the opportunities of
his creditor, it is easy to understand how
the shrewd traders on the Usage reser-
walton have succeeded in absorbing con-
troll of most of its best lands, which they
let at their own figures to their friends
among the cattlemen.
1t is said on good authority that the
Indians are today paying often as high |
as 10 per cent a month for loans. and |
that 1t Is customary, just before the an
nuity cash payments occur, for the trad |
ers to make advances Of money on an |
agreement that double the amount shall |
be returned when the Indians get their |
stipend. An effort was made by the trad /
ers on the Usage reservation, early In |
the present year, to procure legislation /
from congress advancing enough OF the |
Indians money directly from the treas
urv to discharge a total of 1890, 54S due 10
them by the Indians. 1t was then shown
that individual traders carried on their
books total debts ranging from more
than 32,500 up to nearly $4,000; and that
Individual Indians owed to various trad
IRIS total amounts from 81 to about sou
Although the Usage tribe is rated as the
richest community in the world, meas
1red by its average wealth per capita, the
Individual Indians are not millionaires or
anything like it; and such freedom to con-
ract debts would. if encouraged by di-
.ect payments from their trust funds In
he treasury, soon render them penniless.
Whether the present charges result in
he removal of Agent Pollock or not, II
hoped that they will bear fruit IN call
ny the attention of the authorities in
to this whole question OF !
leadership. which must one day be taken
II in earnest. The energies Of the friends
f reform in Indian administration have /
itherto been focused almost exclusively
pom breaking down the reservation bar
iers and making free men and citizens o.
ne Indians; but this work of emauclpa- ,
ion will necessarily be slow. and in the
leantime. II would be we'll 10 establish
rec trade on all the reservations a.
reliminary TO their opening. The only
sason why trade with the Indians was
yer hedged about with the present form
Iities was that in their almost childhke
lndftIon OF helplessness. g was desired
, throw the srtong arm of the govern
ent around the red men for theic pro-
81 a~ -
gns OF the government. this one has
cen grossly perverted in its execution
,stead OF protecting the Indians from
aud and oppression. Il has resulted. in
very large proportion OF Instances. IN
mply reservinE for a small group q
oney-seeking white men monopoly Of
,portunity 20 make a Droht from IN ?
an ignorance. The cisan-handed -sse- ?
: on the Indian reservations make q d
tiful showing % numbers beside re g.
en- who are there 70 get all there e n 7
f" Il Is true that the reKllstioHs q =
2 Indian Office impose some pretty g \
re restrictions upon the Indian tra5ars. 1 q
Z these are evade6 OF izuore6. for ne 2.
5st part with inpUnitv- As louz ss tAs =
essut system remains. licenses VII cor b
lua % issue 20 those traders whe have q
2 most political pull and The instant u
e OF them IL iuterferrsG with. a halt- =
zen senators and representative w1iI =
ne down upon the Indian oftlcs Sith =.
demand that the offender shah BE Jet 2
sn~. A
Is result % This system those traders z
lose Ei-doiag s. too liable % attract a.
ition ottsn make overtEzes - thssr ef~
An TIRE same reservation FOR
Inion % forces. s3nee = al are equally a
pshls- 70 ons SiH - u 4 posfsion - a.
-h@ ruth Z Nrezz- ire - Ha-e - fraEA -