The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-26
WILL MOI RAIIFY
Cheroke9s Kicking on Dawes
Commission Treaty,
CONGRESS WASTING TIME
Good Faith of the Government
Is Questioned,
WASTING TIME

TaIequah, I. T.. Dec. 2.-Leading mem
bers of the Cherokee tribe express the
opinion that it viii be merely a waste Of
time this winter for congress to consider
and ratify the Cherokee treaty now pend
ing before It. The Cherokees are dis
satisfied with the treaty as they origi-
naIly made It and with the amendments
added by the Indian committees in cong
ress 1t is now absolutely obnoxious to
them. They win vote 1t down by an al
most unanimous vote when it comes back
for ratification providing congress rat-
fes 1t on the part Of the government.
The most objecdonal feature Of the
treaty as it now appears is the provision
IN relation to mineral and oil leases. a
couple Of years ago the Cudahy OIL com
Dany and the Standard Oil company
sent agents down here to obtain leases
from individual Indian residents for mil
lions of acres. These leases came up for
ratification before the Indian legislatures
Of the various tribes and they were all
repudiated. Now the companies want a
provision in the treaties protecting their
leases. They succeeded in getting the In
dian committee Of the house to insert
such a proviso in the treaty afterward,
but Il viii be knocked out IN the senate.
At least Congressman Charles Curtis at
the head of the house Indian committee
has notified the leaders here that It VIII
be. This oil lease provision is what has
held up the treaty in congress so long so
the Indians say. Had that provision been
knocked out and the treaty been ratified
by congress Immediately after It was pre-
eented it would no doubt have been rat
fled by the Cherokees, so the leaders
here say. But as time wore on the Cher
okees themselves discovered many holes
in the treaty and now none Of them is
satisfied with It.
The Indians are getting somewhat sus-
picious Of the government on the treaty
propositions. They believe that In dealing
With Uncle sam the best they get is the
worst OF It. When they were moved 70
this section they were give nan absolute
title to their lands, that is. the title was
made absolute to the tribe. The contract
gave them the lands as 'Gong as grass
grows and water runs Now the gov
eminent wants to enter into another
contract with them that deprives them
Of the right to even dig a wei on their
land: Tn other words, the Cher0kees (
claim that the government is trying to
force a treaty on them now that not
only takes away a large portion Of their
lands, but also gives them title solely
to the surface OF the lands which they
are permitted to hold Other provisions
are equally as obnoxious and the Chero- /
KEGS say that the treaty as it Will come /
hack from congress viii not be salts
factory to them nor ratified at an cleo /
ton. A new treaty more favorable to the /
Cherokees is the only way out, they say /
The Greeks are fairly well satisfied with /
their treaty now pending before congress /
and leaders Of that tribe say that unless /
some Objectionable provisions are in /
jected into it 10y. congress, it will be rati- /
fed by the Indians. Of course. this dec /
larauon is made on the theory that the !
OH lease feature VIII be stricken out, as I
Curtis pledges It will The /
Creek treaty Is regarded as a more eOult- /
able one than the Cherokee treaty. This /
IS Que, so It IS given out, 20 the fine (
italian hand Of General Pleasant Porter, 1
chief Of the Creeks. Chief Porter is a /
shrewd man, and while he belongs to I
the progressive element that wants 70 see
the Indian Territory opened up. he is al
WAYS looking out for the interests Of the
Creeks. Through him the Dawes commits
sion has been able to push things in the
Creek country. That IS why its work
In that nation is so far advanced. On the
other hand. the Cherokees have had no
able mind Ike that of Chief Porter to
take care Of their interests and, as re-
suit. they are further behind In their ne
with the federal government
than any other tribe It Il a dead moral /
certainty. so the leaders say, that an en-
lire new treaty win have to be formu-
ated and ratified before the Cherokee
country can be opened for settlement