The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-10


| jcrities. and before the sunset Of this Gen.
| fury the fun blood Indian viii have dis
| appeared from the halls Of the Cherokee
| council"
| Whiskey and bribery have unfortunate
IL. been allied with the whites against the
fun bloods. Bride takers have not been
more plentiful in the Indian legislatures
than in others, but full blood who cal
refuse a full whiskey bottle is rarity.
Under the influence Of drink. many
/ measure granting privileges to the whites
! has received a full blood vote that was
| afterwards vainly regretted. At the clos
/ ing meeting Of the session of 1896 a GER
| tain well known and corrupt member was
| 10 introduce a miscellaneous appropr1a-
ton bill carrying an appropriation Of so.
OO0 to cover a very vague list OF expendi-
lures Out in the lobby of the council
room this member, with the co-authof
o. the bill, stationed himself, big, half
gallon flask of whiskey in the bag at his
side. AS each Indian lawmaker came III
the bottle was brought forth, and, in the
colloouy over the merits Of the liquor the
miscellaneous appropriation bill was men,
toned as worthy Of support
But the corrupt member overestimated
his own capacity for whiskey-when the
time came TO call up the appropriation bill
its authors were sleeping deeply, uncon-
scious of little $4,000 appropriation bills.
Sober men attacked the bill, and killed It
before adjournment
Tom Burlington, the present chief Of the
Cherokes. is carrying forward in very
able way the work begun by Mayes. Buff
fington is a big man physically, standing
about six feet four. powerfully built. He is
somewhat slow Of speech, and he depends
less upon the power of oratory than most
Indian politicians Toms popularity is
due largely to his magnetic personality.
He has just returned from Washington.
where he has been in the interest of the
latest Cherokee allotment bin, and he has
called a special election 70 obtain the rati-
ication of the bill by the people One bill
before this passed the United States con-
gress and was sent down for action by
the tribe. But Burlington opposed it, his
following opposed it, and IL was defeated.
Tom favors this measure, and expects TO
see it ratified.
Curious and futile lawshave been passed
by the tribal legislatures. a majority OF
them aimed against the growth of white
influence. Among the miscellaneous
acts in the Cherokee book of laws are
the following that can scarcely be duph
Gated:
An intermarriage law, requiring a white
man who sought to marry a Cherokee
bride to furnish to the district clerk who
issued the license, twelve references as to
the mans good character from his former
neighbors in the states
a law reserving all minerals. wherever
found in the nation. to the tribal govern
ment and making them subject to tribal
control.
a not unusual law was that requiring
the counting of votes for chief in the
senate chamber upon the assembling Of
the legislat tive body after an election; but
The action of one Forum Davis. president
OF the senate. in refusing TO call for the
counting of the votes appeared unique,
until a committee. headed by Senator
Glen" Rogers, waited on the president
in a secluded spot and, putting a pistol
to his head, demanded that upon the next
assembling of the senate the votes be
counted. Davis promised with alacrity,
and when he had raped for order next
1dN cdlu- setAldtOiss nave tAhlillitN
the law some more and have concluded
to order the counting of the votes pro-
cee6r'
In 1S43 at a council at Tahlequah, this
section was inserted in the law passed to
govern intertribal relations:
Revenge shall not be cherished, nor re-
taliation practiced. for offenses committed
by individuals" Today one of the most
complete and modern judicial systems in
the country obtains over the territory.
Quantity reminiscent seems the pream-
bic TO that 1913 body of laws embracing in
brief though ford terms the history OF
these nineteenth century Indians:
The removal Of the Indian tribes
from the homes of their fathers, east of
the Mississippi, has there extinguished
our ancient council fires, and changed our
position in regard to each other; and
by the solemn pledge of treaties
we are assured by the government of the
United States that the lands we now pos
sess shall be the undisturbed home of our
selves and our posterity forever; therefore
we, assembled around the great
council FIRE kindled in the west at Table
quah, in order to preserve the relations
between our several communities. etc"
The council fire is dead-a commodiOus
brick legislative hall hears the wrangling
Indian parliamentarians today.