The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-10
DECLINE OF
FULL BL00OS
Is RAPID
Their influence in the CherO-
kee Legislature,
SOME OF THEIR TENETS
Opposition to the White In
truder Undying.

Guthrie, o. T, Aug. 9-John NJ. Oskison
ia writing up the ways Of the tribal leg
islatures, says: Be 1t known. in the be
ginning that the modern IRdian-is {. crea-
ture of law. a parliamentarian by instinct
loving the forms and tactics Of debate
He is a politician, Ioquacious. shrewd
genial; between the tearing OF Of a gener-
Gus corner Of plug tobacco and the first
alarming food OF Juice" he viii size
mp" colleague in a surprisingly accurate
way. More often than not. he is big
b-oad-framed man, whose digestion is
proof even against contraband whiskey
and much nicotine; otherwise he is likely
10 be very small. nervous, and too impa-
tient 70 win against the slow and sure
manipulation of the big men.
The full blood Indians are rare in the
Indian territory-statisticaily they are
about as one TO eight of the whole citizen
population. TntermaTriage. begun years
ago. has blanched the Indians face and
complicated his nature. Years ago, st an
election for chief, two men sat at table
e write down the name Of the man the
voter thought ought to be given the po-
sition. Today. the whole elaborate ma
chinery of nomination, electioneering, poll
working, secret ballot. and, Ii is fire.
quently charged, bribery. is set going To
elect mayor of Tahlequah. So. the In
dian politician Is scarcely other than a
sunHurned white man. though he still
talks periodically OF the rights Of his
people and the injustice Of the whites;
and Arkansas IS furnishing the greater
part Of his code.
In 1888. when the eastern band of Cher
okees removed TO the present Indian ter
ritory and joined the whole tribe in a for
nal union. these names, among many
were affixed to the articles Of agreement:
John Ross. chief Of Eastern Band Te-
aah-la-we-stab, John Benge. Going Snake
John Looney. Acting Chief Of West Band.
Charles Gourd, Ah-sto-la-ta, Looney price
Major Pullun. Young Elders. Deer Track,
Young Puppy. Turtle Fields, July, The
Eagle. The Crying Buffalo
Following Bushyhead. the last three
chiefs Of the Cherokes have been Harris,
Mayes and Burlington, and the character
tstic old names have disappeared from the
Toster of the tribal council. The modern
Indian has come to scorn his old clan
name. and shows much skill in transform
ing it to agree with the white mans no
menclature. Nearly everybody in a certain
Cherokee community, wherein the promi-
nent families were the Boots, the Buz-
yards, the Rafting Gourds. and the Long
Tails. knew Jimmie Horsefy, for Jimmie
grew up among them, keen-eyed and am
Bilious.
In the course Of years. Jimmie Horseny
made the acquaintance Of an influential
member Of the tribal council. and was APP
pointed TO the position Of Interpreter IN
that legislative body. For one term he
vas still Jimmie Horsefly, and his neigh
bors were properly proud Of his advance
ment But at the end of the second ses-
sion ofcounch the proud Interpreter came
back to his neighbors proclaiming him
self James IT. Fly-and his new derby hat
ewed the wondering neighbors into an
uneasy silence.
The one long fight of the Indian legisla-
tors in all Of the tribes has been to check
the rush of the white men into their coun-
tries. Holding 10 their rights. guaranteed
in frequent old treaties. the fun bloods
have fought the growth Of the white in
fight was hopeless. Force Of habit and
sympathy and the urging Of the dwindling
full blood settlements have urged them on
- fight until, one by one. they have been
replaced by the modern mixed blood
ready and willing to compromise with the
tntruders. The experienced. shrewd old
editor of a territory newspaper, writing
from Tahleauah. the seat Of the Cherokee
government. in 1896 said:
The fun blood element in this country
are getting farther and farther away in
their sentiments and wishes and desires
from the balance Of the citizens Of this
nation. This observation is made regret
fGly. but il IS certainly true. In the sen
ate the fun hoods are represented by the
very best talent they have. and they are
making the grandest fight Of their lives
for the natives. for their kind Of people
making Il honestly and as none but an
Indian could see 1t. II is no longer oues-
zion that what is good for the white maa
and the mixed blood is bad FOR tina ful
hlood. Their interests can never be in
common it Is impossible: their courses
are non parallel. The fuu-blood Chero-
dream is Sd continue an Indian ma
son Cor al time 60 come. and they VIII
never assent to anything else. They want
the whites all removed from the country.
aad who could l.ame theme
"A Few days ago. in discussing the dire
ful effect Of doing away with white per
mitted labor. Senator Rogers Ia mixed
blood and a progressive ranchuan1 said
that his farm would STOW up "a weeds and
grass II be were not allowed 70 hire white
men. That is just what We want The
full blood ides is TO turn all OF the land
out Tor future generations. except a very
small tract for each family. The real IN
dams IN the Cherokee nation are not mo-
nopolists in any sense Of the word They
are not occupying large tracts ~ land
neither are they crowding each other in
their small holdings
The fun hloo6s dream is 10 cut down
the wire fences. n drive out The VAST
herds OF cattle. to see the great wheat
farms OF CooscOowe and Delaware dis
tricts run wild. and again see the sun
flower and native grass rod In the wind
70 hear the howl az the coyote-in short
q turn back the tide Of nineteenth cen
fury civilization. and save his race from
extinction. Then. toe. the big farms arm
an eyesore TO the squirrel shooters. ard
the dearest object OF their lives IS 10 cur
down the big fields. The white man is
now the common enemy. he and his Ia
Dor must be banished from the country.
II il were possible every lover OF ths
human race would say let the fun blood
have his way-let him work out his saliva
ton IN his own way. The position % the
fun blood Cherokee in this country is pa