The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-19
rur CALL or THE WILD.


 For quite awhile the Creeks of 1n- dian Territory have exhibited symptoms of restlessness and discontent. The Call of the Wild" is on them and they cannot resist 1t. It has always been so with them. Their legends state that they came from the far West. probably in Northern Mexico. and like the chil- dren of Israel, began . concerted and practically solidified movement in search of new lands They passed through the southern portion of what Is now the American Union. through Ala bama and Georgia, and onward, contin- ually eastward, until. according to some accounts, they reached the Atlantic. The journey consumed years, but the move ment was continuous.
 Then, in the course of time, they turn ed back on their course. whether driven back by the powerful nations or the Appalachian regions. or whatever the cause may have been, they came back and settled in Alabama and Geor- gia, where the white folks found them centuries ago. As is well known. the continued encroachments of the whlte man finally resulted in their deporta- tion, and for about three-quarters or century their home has been in Indian Territory.
 But again they have become restless The continued crowding into their To- cation of white settlers disturbs them. They find it dif'icult. if not impossible to accustom themselves to the white mans civilization, habits and customs. As long as their tribal relations were not interfered with. and they were left free to follow their own customs they were measurably content, but that time Is coming to an end. Soon all tribal lines and distinctions will end, and as citizens of State. they must adopt the habits and submit to the laws of the country.
 This is unbearable to many of them, and we learn from The Muskogee Phoe- nix that 5000 or 5000 of them are pre- pairing to emigrate to Mexico. They say they are not satisfied with condi- tions, present and prospective. and that they are not willing to take their chances with the whites In the struggle for existence. They believe that In such a struggle they will go down. and they are not far wrong. The red man cannot maintain his old habits and cus- toms and remain in contact with the white man. He must forsake his old ways and become a civilized citizen or go down, and these Creeks know It; therefore. they are preparing to emi- grate, and are negotiating with the Mexican Government for large tract of land. They have an emigration com pany, of which D. L. Berryhill is Pres ident and M. L. Checotah. both Creeks, is Secretary. The Phoenix of last week has this to say of the project;
 A committee consisting of President Berryhill, L. C. Perryman. Thomas Long and Nokus Fixieo. was apPohnhptsa h prasiden3 td 91 Diaz for a tract of land ample 10 aGs commodate 6.o0o to 5000 people. This committee will arrange with the MeXi can Government for land grant, in aa l dition to which the company Will pur- chase several thousand acres. The com mittee will remain in Mexico apout three months. during which tlme IL VII visit several places and make selec- l tion for the colony at some point i'll
 A petition will be presented to Con | gress at the next session for the re 1 moval of restrictions so the lands | owned by the Indians may be sold hers | These lands will bring from $lO to $ot an acre while land land can 6e p9rcmaseff from sf cents to $2 an acre. in the section oi country where the Indians probably | will locate there Is an abundance ol | fruit, ish and game, and the red ma will be able to return to his formei | manner of living.
 Another meeting of the committed will be held the latter portion of the present month, at which 1t is expected that all the details will be completed and authority and instructions given tc | the agents who will visit Mexico tc 1 conclude the final arrangements with | the Mexican President. Whether oul | Government will grant them the privl- lege of selling their lands which have been allotted them in the Territory, w | cannot say In our opinion It will bt
 the best thing to do. unless there ar'
 some insurmountable obstacles in th'
 way. If the lands are theirs. and thu titles are in them, they should have th' | right to sell them.
 But whether they can sell thei
 lands or not they will go. many of them l if satisfactory arrangements can b. made with the Mexican authorities. Tn
 call of the wild Is ringing in thei
 ears and the sound Is irresistible Tn
 last sentence in the extract we hay
 quoted Is the keynote: "The red maj
 will be able to return to his forme
 manner of living" That is the grea
 attraction. The old habits. the ol
 freedom. the old lack of restraint an
 conventionality appeals to them with
 force beyond their powers of resist
 ance. :-4...@ .-~-s F.. -@-= :.
 Many of them will yield to the cal
 and If conditions are such as anticipat } ed, 1t is a reasonably safe predictio that they will in large measure rever ) to the savages of former days. l short they will become the Indians tha the early Europeans found here, onl that they will take with them the tool the weapons and the implements ( ' white civilization. But 1t mast not be supposed that thi spirit of unrest Is universal with tn