The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1903-09-24
HALF.eREEps AND FULl.BLooDs.

HALF.sREEDs AND FULL.BLooDs.
The Hon. G. r. Breckenridge, laId
agent and member OF the Dawes com
mission. states that there are not more
than 1900 fullbloods among the
10000 enrolled members Of the five
civilized tribes in Indian Territory.
A.. Breckenridge, by means of mis-
official position and private business
relations has had excellent opportu-
mites to accumulate information re-
gardlng all matters in the territory,
so any statement he makes is not
lightly to be considered
According to the figures of the com
missioner. the number of the full
bloods IL not largely in excess OF the
freedmen and persons Of African blood
accredited to the different tribes.
This fact comes as a revelation to
the public. and undoubtedly to him
self Although the Cherokees, Creeks,
Seminoles, Chickasaws and Choc.
taws have no longer the color from
which they are understood originally
to have received their names OF red
men. but are Of a distinctly yellow
nue., yet this pigmentary peculiarity
characterizes the North American In.
dians throughout the continent, and so
is now not generally taken as a test
by which the purity Of their blood Is
to be determined
For all practical purposes there
are 10000 Indians in the territory
The Dawes commission, up to the time
Of the recent scandalous exposures,
has acknowledged such to be the case
and has taken great pains to impress
this fact upon the public. The com
mission in its report, while admitting
that the tribes contained few court.
ly gentlemen ht to grace parlor or
council table in any country, yet has
been very careful to convey the idea
that as a people the five tribes were
helpless, irresponsible creatures
whose rights and property could be
secured to them solely by government
al protection and the Dawes commits
sion. In truth, were this not the con
dition there would have been absolute.
ly no excuse for bringing the Dawes
fut, ,vFyt,p,, Foo t.,.
halfbreeds are recognized by all as
shrewd, artful fellows, entirely capa-
Bile of conducting their own affairs and
of carrying TO n successful issue any
transaction which they undertake.
even against grafters, land agents aad
swindlers.
Indeed the reason for the present
divagation of Commissioner Brecken-
ridge from his former ranthroposo-mato
logical opinion regarding the terri.
torial Indian, expressed of record in
his reports, is exceedingly obscure
to say the least. What is he up to?
II the position he now takes on this
interesting question is correct, he ar
gucs the Dawes commission out of
existence; for he puts that body in
the myiduous light of managing ar
bitrarily the property of over $4,000
people, all Of whom have as much
right to self-government as those in.
teligent and wide half-bree Is. the
McAlesters, of South McAle5tc: the
Owenses, OF Muskogee; Pliny Soper,
OF Vinita, and even OF Cy Leland anu
Charley Curtis, OF Kansas. Evident.
ly Mr., Breckenridge does not intead
the full import of his words. More
somewhat confused by the
published, he has overstepped
in trying to prove that all
Indians, red, white yellow and black.
with whom his land company has done
business, were secure by nature from
any fraudulent tricks that were be.
ing practiced in the territory. kan
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