The Minneapolis journal., 1903-10-05
4 FORGOTTEN LAND
God and Washington, Especially
Washington, Said to Have For
gotten Indian Territory.
4 Shamefully Neglected Country
and the Results-Clamor for
Statehood.
correspondence Of Tho Journal.

correspondence Of Tho journal.
Muscogee, Indian Territory, Oct. l.
This Is the country, they say down here
that God and Washington forgot. And
there are grounds for such a belief-at
least so far as it relates to Washington,
u. G. The country has been neglected
shamefully. stupidity neglected. Here, al
most In the center of the United States
Is state, in population and In area, and
IN all that goes to make state-and it
has not even the rudiments Of govern
ment. 1t Is no exaggeration to say that
the remotest insular possession Of the
United States has been better cared for
by congress than Indian Territory. In
Hawaii and the Philippines, they. have
schools for the children, and it Is not
possible for the insane to wander thru
the streets at pleasure, or for dead man,
mangled by a railroad train, to lie be-
tween the railroad tracks, spectacle
for the morbidly curious for a night and
day and no one in town Of 5000 in
habitants authorized to bury the remains.
Indian Territory Is a misnomer. This
is Indian Reservation. 1t Is not and
never was territory. The territories
have territorial governors, delegates to
congress. conventions and legislative as
sembies. They are subdivided and Or
ganized. much like states, and have To-
cal self government, based on the rep
resentative plan.
Not SO Indian Territory. Here is
carved-out section OF the United States
as big as three or four Of the New Eng
land states, and as fertile. and rich in
natural resources as may be found any
where. a wide. cultivated, populated area,
country with half a million people ltv-
Ing In 1t--of whom less than a fifth are
1ndians-and 1t is a reservation"
PIatt Has Been Too Busy.
Senator Platt Of Connecticut. who has
been busy framing up legislation for
Cubans Porto Ricans and Philippines, is
chairman of the committee which has
charge of these Indian affairs and it Is
reported that he is soon to come down
here and familiarize himself with condi-
tions. Which-tho late-is not bad
Idea. '...
While we have been exporting school
teachers and little red schoohouses to
Cuba and the Philippines, hundred thou
sand native American children Of the
school age have been without any means
OF education in this territory. The Indian
children. and the offspring Of the negro
slaves Of the Indians, are provided with
schools. The Cherokees. Choctaws
Chickasaws, Creeks and Seninoles are
taken care Of; they have their tribal
schools supported from their own funds,
and amply supervised by federal officials.
But the white man who has come in and
leased lands and cultivated the soil,
built houses, barns and fences-his chill
dren may grow up In ignorance or learn
reading and writing best they may.
The foster child is coddled and cared for;
the heir Is turned into the street.
There are over 10000 square miles,
10000, 900 acres and 100000 inhabitants In
Indian Reservation. OF the inhabitants,
less than 80, 900 are members Of the Five
Civilized Tribes of Indians. The country
is under the jurisdiction Of an Indian
agent. an Indian inspector and a COM
mission to subdivide and distribute the
tribal holdings. All report, at long range,
to a red tape shop nearly 1000 miles away,
known as the interior department. For
purposes Of convenience; and to meet a
need which had become critically urgent.
the laws and judicial system OF Arkansas,
were, by congressional enactment,
stretched over the territory
No Wonder "eraftlns" ThrIved.
Is It any wonder that ''grafting'' prac-
tees have grown and thriven here? II
Is a country Of lawlessness and economic
adventure. 1t Is not dlsorderly country.
It Is not land Of shooting and killing;
but it Is a Mecca Of schemers, "sooners,' u
temper r-cent-a-month-e ers, and Of the man
who trades wits for dollars. It Is the
country Of trust companies" organized
to do anything, and willing to do anything
short Of murder for dollar. It Is the
paradise Of the land shark and the boom
er. They are here to get the best of It,
ana tnere ls a Wnole loI OIL Cne pest mere
to be got. ;,
The good people, the white people, the
resident farmers, grazers, miners and rail-
road builders, have right to be here
They are not trespassers. While many
leases are iniquttous there are many 9th
ers made In good faith, which are tht
foundations of homes, cotton plantations
city blocks with business transacted II
them. The country Is rich; the Indians
did not need it all. and the outside worle
has come In and settled and developed
These people have right to be consid
cred. And the country itself has a rgh
to be considered, and to have laws whlcl
would protect others who would then glad
ly come in.
Statehood with Oklahoma.
The people here do not want terri
torial form Of government now. Severa
years ago they would have been glad t
have had that much. Now they wan
homa will send joint. committee to con
gress this coming winter to work jointl
for statehood. They will ask that tn
two be admitted as one state. Some peo
pie in Oklahoma want that territory ad
nltted leaving Indian Territory to b
absorbed gradually, at later date Blu
that does not suit Indian Territory, an
any effort to promote such a plan wi
result In an open and bitter fight agains
Oklahoma statehood. It Is believed, how
ever, that the two applicants will wor
In harmony and a joint committee of tw
from each has already been appointed an
has passed resolutions pledging It's mem
bers to united action.
Altogether there there doings in T. T.
and If Providence and Senator Platt c
Connecticut are longer neglectful of thi
part Of the republic, it will not be fo
lack Of a reminder.
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