The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-01-15
! ant Do Contlnue Trlbal Taxls

Washington r. G., Jan l3-Ihc Indian
view of NE proposition made boy Mr.. Lit-
tlc. OF Arkansas. and Senator Pettgrew.
Of South Dakota, TO do away with the
tribal taxes I'm the Indian Territory, has
bcen given TO the Interior Department
and 90 members OF congress The indians
hold that such action on the part OF tho
government woulC Joe a grave injustice to
them. They viii yht the proposed legis-
lauon, and are ed cnndent OF their ability
20 convince congress that it ought not to
be enacted Their position IS this:
The lands In the Indian Territory belong
to them. The whites have no right there.
1t makes no difference whether or not
they have courts or schools to support
under the new system which tho United
States has inaugurated for the govern
ment Of the territory The fact is that
the WHITES IN the territory. occupying In
dian la'Id. are deriving their living from
Indian Territory resources They owe the
Indians something for this privilege.
what the Indians do with the money after
they got 20 is Of no concern to- the white
man who paws the tribute. He has no
more reason to object TO the payment OF
the tax exacted Of him for the privilege
Of residing I'm the territory and pursuing
his vocation than a man occupying and
/ deriving proht from another mans farm
would to object to the payment of rent,
because he id not approve OF the manner
In which the owner OF the farm spent the
money paid. or because he believed that
the owner OF the farm had no particular
use for he money which he eNacted
POTEAU PROPOSITION.
/ This ls the manner In which the indian
representatives present their case. As an
illustration of The justice of their con-
tenion, they cite an incident which oc-
CURED recently I'm the territory The
white citizens OF Poteau, having formed
a townsite organization. concluded they
ought not to be llahle for tribal taxes.
They went to a member of the Dawes
commission and laid their case before
/ him. They informed him that. now that
| they had formed a townsite organization,
and had separated themselves from the
rest Of the territory, they did not believe
1t was incumbent upon them to pay
further tribute to the tribe In the shape
OF private taxes. The commissioner is
reported to have said to them.
"Your position. gentlemen would be all
right II you had really segregated your
selves II you were 10 build wall around
your town, and make no demand whatever
upon the resources of the territory out
side OF the town. then l could agree with
you that you ought not to pay taxes tc
the tribe But have you don that2 or
the contrary all the industry OF youl
town Is dependent upon the coal and cot
ton which is brought I'm from the Indiar
lands. Therefore, since your support II
dependent upon the country which belongs
to the Indians n seems to me you d,
owe them something for the privilege o.
earning your livlihood from the use o
the product OF their lands"
STARTLING STORIES
1t IS said that when the Little bill come,
up before the committee on Indian affair,
for consideration, and Il Is sought to show
alleged imposition by the Indian govern
ments upon the white settlers. the Indians
viii introduce evidence in rebut;al whicl
will be startling in character. and viii
exhibit some OF the whites IN the terri
tory in despicabe light An incident &
now Ae'ng related here which seems in
credible, but which Is vcuched for b,
responsible parties as absolutely true.
IS said that a certain cattleman in tn
territory went to a firm of lawyers. an
laying down 500, said he would pay tn
firm that fee 10 hunt up a number o
Indian women who We're In a position q
contract marriages with white men. III
himself would go to Texas and hunt "a
an equal number OF white men TO MARI
the women. His purpose was 20 have IN
white men. after their marriage TO N
Indian women, lease him the allotment
TO which their wives would be entitled
. that he might use them Cor grazing pun
poses. This wholesale marriage bargai
was never consummated, but, 81 is assert
ed, there are a number Of individual case
of this sort OF infamy which can q
established.
II can be stated on indisputable author
~ that on the day upon which the Dave
! commission promulgated the order ihs
after that date allotments would not L
granted 10 Indian women who Marie
whites, a promoter Of such questionab
enterprises came TO a member OF tf
Dawes commission and asAed II Il wei
true that such an order had been Issue
on being answered In the affirmative, :
|, said:
"All right; merely wanted % know
= time 10 warn a couple OF friends OF mir
= who have started out for another town
4 marry Inlian women"
3 The theory upon which these mix,
= marriages are contracted by unscrupulol
> whites IS SAID TO be that, after year
] 20, The husband can cajole the wife in
y making n conveyance OF the property ov
. to him When he secures this be promp