The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-03

NIt9RNIA III ,NYRVFV
.o1,ssyyrnle. -" F GH1 NsTn xxo:ss
foa sAlf gY All DRUGGISTS eRc SOC FIR s0THI
which the Indians We're alleged to have
consented. The changes were made af-
ter the first sentence in which it was
agreed to pay the Indians 100000 for
their surplus land, and the clause was
made to read:
ITO be paid as follows: As fast as
the hands opened for settlement under
this act are sold, the money received
from such sales shall be covered into
the Treasury and placed to the credit
of the said Comanche, Kiowa and Ap-
ache, triges of Indians; provided, that
no part Of said money snaIl be paid to
said Indians until the question Of title
to the lands is fully settled between said
tribes. and the Choctaw and Chicksaw
tribes by suit in the court Of claims,
as hereinafter provided; and said court
shall by its decree direct the payment
Of said 100000 to the tribes entitled to
the same"
Mot one word of this change has re-
ceived the consent of the Indians who
purport to have made the original agree
ment It's insertion was entirely arbi-
trary and tyrannical on the part of the
famers of the bill, and was a trick
which, even in its most jingOish temper,
neither house of congress would 1ave
ventured to try upon people the equal
Of ours in strength. The excuse offered
for it is that since the agreement was
made, claim of the Choctaws and
Chickasaws to an interest in these lands
has taken definite form and called for
adjudication. and that the purpose Of
changing the text of the agreement was.
to work substantial justice for the claim
ants as well as the occupants OF the
land
The answer to this apology is plain
enough, namely, that as the government
has been the active mover and the final
arbiter in all the land transactions be-
tween itself and the Indians, or between
various Indian tribes, it, and it alone,
is to blame if any mistake has occorred
to afford a basis for rival claims upon
the lands covered by the pending bill. If
the government were not ready to stand
by the alleged agreemnt which it lured
the Comauches, Kiowas and Apaches in
to making. it should not have framed
that agreement as it did; but. having
once framed, and induced the Indians to
go through the form of signing such an
instrument. it was bound 10 stand by it
as a whole or else resubmit it and OBJ
tain the consent of the other parties to
the changes desired This is what any
honorable party 10 a contract in the or
binary business world would wish TO DO,
and it is what a party Of any other sort
would be compelled to do, whether he
wished to or rot.
Mr. Platt's amendment restores the text
of the agreement as the Indians are al
legged to have signed it. There ought not
to be a moments question about the
adoption of one or the other alternative
the defeat Of the entire measure, or its
passage in a from WHICH does not brand
the government as a liar.
1t is a beautiful spectacle we are pre-
senting to the rest of the world just now.
Our orators pirate of the ability OF the
United States 10 cope with the govern
ment and civilization of a number of
tribes of alien people in the far east he
cause foTsooth, we have succeeded So
admirably in governing and civlizlng Our
red wards in the western part Of this
country. Al the very moment ne are
making these claims. we are proposing 10
push through congress a bill affecting the
valuable landed property Of three Of cur
subject Indian tribes. in which
80 We assert the lawful existence OF an
agreement or treaty which has never
been lawfully entered into;
~ We pretend TO give the text Of this
agreement. and commit a deliberate for
gerry in the body of It:
80 We propose to apporti5n to each IN
dian, for his own use and support. an
area pronounced BY the most competent
judges insufficient even for a white farm
er. whose means of utilizing the soil are
presumptively better thar any Indians:
and
"a Instead of paying over cash an
nuity-to which We were lately pretend
ing to have bound ourselves-large
enough to make u 10 the Indian sell
ers Of the surplus lands for some Of he
! shortcomings of the bargain into which
! they have been deiuied. we propose 10
! tie ID the revenue from these lanfs .or
an indefinite period. with the possibility
that not a penny Of II viii ever so 10
the parties 10 whom we promised 70
pay it,
Is it not astonishing that. with such an
example before him Of our aignmfo5el
| unselhshness and careful regard r-r JUS
| tice IN dealing with our racisl iuftr'1rs.
| Agu'naldo does not stand AZ our doors IN
an attitude OF suoolica5ion. Instead az
! fleeing from our benevolent advances as
/ he would from the plague? T. L y
tt. Lrahy Gets n Leg Broken