The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-10-31
INDIANS LIKED
TO Be CHEATED
fCherokees' Losses Under Their
System Of Tribal Gov
eminent.
LITTLE OF VALUE is LEFT
Land Has Been Dissipated by the Leg
islators-Nine Water Carriers
for the Sessions of tho r.
Council.
LITTLE OF VALUE is LEFT

~ - ~ "
Council.
Vinlta, I. T., correspondence Kansas
City Star: With the announcement
by the government that the landed in
terest of each Cherokee citizen is only
Ito acres of average allotable land,
/ assessed at $780," the Cherokees
have for the first time realized the
great cost of the corrupt tribal govern
ment to which they have chung SO ten
aciously. With the realization that
more than $4,000, 900 acres Of land have
been squandered In a few decades, they
have awakened from their lethargy in
regard to their affairs and discomfort
Is prevalent throughout the nation.
Probably nowhere in history is there,
such another example Of ~misgovern-}:
ment by the consent Of he governed,
That the tribal estate was rapidly
dwindling has been apparent for years.,
yet When, a few years ago., the elder
Boud1not attempted to lead the Chero-i
KEGS out of Egypt by advocating allot-t
ment, he was forced to flee to WASH
1ngton to save his life, and lived there
IN exile for years, fearing to return.
# his advice had been taken each,
Cherokee would have received 500
acres and a large money interest. Un-i:
der the recent treaty they will receive
only fifty acres Of the best land and
about seventy-flve acres Of the more
desirable grades Of farming land. The
sale Of more than 80, 100000 acres of
lana suggests either the d~istributionl
OF large sums of money among thet
members Of the tribe or a. large tn-3
vested fund. yet neither is the case.
The "strin Money" Payment 4s
The distribution Of the money re-
ceived from the sale Of Oklahoma,
known as the strip money payment
ticed by the tribal leaders. lit that
time hundreds of negroes were Import;
ed from Kansas, Missouri, Texas and
Arkansas and enrolled as Cherokee
freedmen. Each one drew $265.70,
which was paid to those enrolling In
It is estimated that this cost the mem,
bers of the, tribe $500, 600. Now the
nation is spending thousands of dollars
in an attempt to have the name purged8
from the rolls. Although all Of this is
common knowledge, those said to be re-
spoylsible for the fraudulent enrolling
are high in the councils Of the tribe
An example of this apparent uncon-iS
Germ at being continually worsted Is
evidenced in the following incident
which is regarded as a joke: b
Before the Cherokee strip" was sold
AAS III SO1lCSlCd d ldAE Tie CaI-i
tlemen who grazad their herds there
The tribal council appointed one Of its
members as collector. He visited the.
cattlemen and collected about $12, 900.
When called upon by the council3to res
port he rose from his seat and said, 7
report"
The collector refused to give an ac-l
counting, and, as his services were
needed by the dominant party, the two
words he uttered were duly recorded
n the incident closed.
No Cherokee outside their leaders
a tell how the money received from
the sale of the 100000 acres comprising
the neutral strip" on the Kansas Dor
der, was disposed OF. Their Carolina.
estate was dissipated and lane has
) been sold to the Nez Perces, osages.
Ctoes, ShaWness and Delawares, with
practically the same sequel q &{con-
cerned the disposition of the proceeds.
Tho Sale of Tribal Rights.
, The sale Of tribal rights has 5for4years
; been common practice and, despite the
efforts of the Dawes commission, which
has removed hundreds from the rolls
where fraud could be proved, fany vet
: remain who will join in: the final appor-
3 tionment of the tribal estate
: In one instance tribal leaders broke
into the tribal auditors office ana
signed warrants approxtmating $50, GOO.
$ This was placidly accepted by the
Cherokees as a political Incident
8 Since the government has taken hold
Of the tribal finances, a check has been
put to these practices, though the ex-
t pense appropriation bill passed each
I session of the counci1gis a model Of ex-
i travagance. An item in this inevitable
bill, which passed the recent session,
appropriates a large sum for the paysof
b mine water carriers, who were attend
ing the official thirsts. The n~ation$has
an invested fund fof about $3.O00.O00
which the government has managed to
d save, and which bears s per cent inter
est. They have an outstanding indebt-
edness Of 100000 Of s per cent warrants.
The government will redeem these war
d rants out of the invested fund
4 fact thatathe warrants bearing high
IS er Arate of interest were causing the ma
k ton a net loss of 81, 900 III never
occurred to the tribal financiers.@