The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-29

White Men in Indian Territory
TO Resist Tribal Tax.
ONLY WAY OUT FOR THEM
Is to Take a Stand for Their
Rights.

Oklahoma City, o. T.. July 2S-Gradu-
ally awakening to the fact that unless
they fight for their rights they will never
get them, the white people Of the Indian
Territory have decided to buck the mi
quitous tribal tax. Commenting on the
fact that in a recent decision the interior
department held that the Curtis act does
not relieve non-citizens purchasing town
lots within the Indian nations in the In
dian Territory from paying the permit
tax or license fee imposed by the tribal
authorities, the Eufala Journal says:
THE tribal tax levied against white trad
ers of the Five Civilized Tribes is a tax
of l per cent on all goods handled dur
ing the year. AS the merchants turn
their stocks several tipes in the course
of the year the tax ranges from l to 8
per cent according to the amount and
class of business done. The occupation
tax is also levied by the tribes against
the white professional men. 1t is paid
by white doctors, lawyers, newspaper
men, etc. These taxes are levied TO pay
expenses of Indian governments, in which
white men have no vote or voice, and Of
Indian schools, from which white chill
dren are excluded. The towns in which
the white payers of this Indian tax live
are incorporated under an act of con-
gress. They are taxed to support these
interpretations and also to support a sys-
TEN OF free schools for the towns. The
Indians in the incorporate limits hold Of
fees in the town governments and their
children attend the free schools but they
do not pay the school taxes. The license
tax and the occupation tax paid by the
white traders and professional men 10
the Indian governments were paid in
years gone by without a murmur be-
cause they obtained a monopoly in the
trade, such license being very much re-
stricted and hard to obtain. In later
years, however, anybody who chooses can
do business in the Five Tribes, but the
United States government insists that all
white men not intermarried with Indian
citizens continue to pay the tax though
there is now close competition in business
and Indian and intermarried competitors
of the white merchants and professional
men do not pay the taxes. The taxes
have been nevertheless paid, but bitterly
complained of. Under act of congress in
some of the Five Tribes, by treaty in
others, and under both act and treaty in
still others the white people are enabled
to own a fee simple title to town lots in
which they have hitherto only claimed
occupancy under license trader clause in
the treaties. These fee simple titles are
obtained by purchase. at an appraised
price, direct from the tribes under the
supervision of the interior department of
the United States government.
Now, says the interior department, not
withstanding the white men have fee
simple titles to the lands on which they
reside and do business, and notwith-
standing they pay for a town government
and for free schools of their own, they
must still pay a license ana an cccupa-
ton tax to the Indian governments, in
which they have no part, to support In
dian schools which white children cannot
attend. The same being a class tax levied
without the consent of the taxed by an
Indian legislature in which they are not
represented.
And the great constitutional government
of the United States says taxes must
still be paid or the American citizens re-
fusing to pay them will be removed from
the towns, which they own, as intruders.
No they won't be removed, either. As
fast as white people acquire fee simple
titles to town lots just so fast they re-
fuse TO pay tribal taxes. When the Of
iicers come to eject them the United
States courts will be asked to enjoin
them and restrain them from commit
ting an Illegal act. Any judge so weak
kneed or ignorant or corrupt as to refuse
such an Injunction ought to, and viii, be
Kissed out of the Indian Territory by &c.,
900 indignant white people"
To this the Purcell Register adds: THE
Register wants to see the entire Indian
Territory organized in opposition to the
payment of the tax which the great J.
George Wright says we ought to pay By
determined opposition we can at least at
tract the attention strongly TO our Pc
culiar condition and see if we cannot get
a little time from the consideration of the
wants of the new cOlonists of the United
States, to the end that we, the alien peo-
pie right in the heart of the country. may
be given justice. 1t has been for years
a remark that Texas would do well to
raise less hades and more corn. but we
are fast arriving al the opinion that It
would be profitable for the Indian Terri
tory to take the other side Of this propo-
sition, and, for year or SO, at least,
raise less corn. and more of the other
article. We have been patient, long
suffering and law abiding We have seen
ourselves relieved in official reports. and
we know that even now TIE sentiment is
with many supposedly sensible people
that the white people are down here
scheming 70 rob the poor Indian. when
the truth IS that It keeps the white man
awfully busy TO prevent the Indian rob
bing him. We have seen in every treaty
the rights of the non-resideuts almost to
tally ignored, and everything asked for
by the Indian given aim We know that
the white man has given to this country
the vast bUik Of its wealth today and We
believe IL IS time We should realize that
forbearance has ceased 10 be Z virtue
and instead Of hur2bly begging congress
10 do something for cur relieS-a1d do 4
within the lifetime Of the present genera
tion-we should put ourselves IN shape 70
demand something. We need an Ag,sin-
aldo for the Indian Territory Who'll
volunteer Tor the place."