The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-06-03
RICHEST OF me INDIANS.
Ozszss Have Tore Noaey Thsn rhey
kno- What 20 Do WITH.

The Nation, i that be Is AZ
lznorant chap. with a blanket and 4
a squaw, and that all be has in TIE
world : a governIoeut ration aud q .
pipe. This Is true. too. % some .
q The noble red men. bat. in the /
language Of the day. there sre
others. a1d ihev srs not squalid. I
poor or unthritty.
The Osages are not only TIE
richest Indians IN the world, but I
there is 10 other people on the I
globe that compare with them il
this respect. white. black, red or
yellow. They live in Oklahoma.
and they have more money than
they know what 70 do with. SO al
man from their country, Major a
Z. Whiting says, and be ought 70
know, for he has been trading with
them for years.
/ was recently IN Washington.
said Ms!o- Whiting the other day,
and I learned while there that
the Osages have made new con-
tracts for the rental OF their pas
ture lands. They have 10000
acres Of land, together. and OF
these 6OO.OOO are leased for graz
ing at an annual rental Of sl20,-
600. The Osages now have on
deposit in Washington, with the
United States, something like
500. 900, for which they sold
their lands in Kansas, and this
brings them annually 100000 in
come.
Besides, they own more than one
and one-hslf million acres yet,
which is easily worth g an acre.
! Their land holdings are worth near.
lly $1,000, 900, all teld There are
1912 Indians in the tribe, and they
have their holdings in common,
men, women and children. When
a child is born it becomes a joint
owner with all the rest Thus there
is a continued incentive for the in
dividual family to increase.
The profits from the money in
the United States treasury. the re-
cent leasing Of lands and other
sources of revenue, give the tribe
about 5000, 600 annually as an in
come. This figures out a little
more than $500 for every man,
woman and child. When a family
consists of half a dozen or eight
or ten, as it often does, you can
figure for yourself that it is a
pretty thing. The realty holdings
, OF the tribe have a per capita
value Of about 81 900, and that
means, for a small family OF
p five - and that is a small one
about $4,000.
AS might be expected, this
wealth has attracted TO the reserya-
; tion many white men, who seek
alliances with the Indian maidens
The foxy old governors, however,
have foreseen this, and they col
J ect a poll tax of 81 per month
from every white man there. Thi:
keeps the white population down
! and makes il really desirable The
adventurer is given a cold greeting
let me tell you.
These Osages have not failed
/ to profit mentally from their pros
e perity They have fine homes anC
2 schools, and the sons and daugh
Z ters are sent East Ia colleges, anC
5 their homes are richly and taste
; fully furnished, with carpets
o pianos and good furniture. Oi
;. course a few families still live il
: the old fashion. but thev are be
J. coming fewer and fewer all tn,
J. time. In the mean time, tht
Osages are well worthy of theil
f inheritance, and when, in a few
+ years, they become citizens in full
they will not be the worst we have
by any means. - Kansas City
, journal.
: Spragins & Co; have almost {