Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-05
IN INDIANS BEHALF
A Stirring Appeal Received
by the President.
CHARGES OF INJUSTICE
NATIONS WARDS SAID TO HAVE
BEEN DESPoILED.
A Once Proud and Prosperous Nation
Declared to Be Heartbroken and the
Victims of Grafters.

Mr. j. 5. Murrow, president of the Indian
| Orphans Home at Atoka, I. T., has written
| letter to President Roosevelt in which he
discusses at length the affairs of the In
dams in Indian territory. Mr.. Murrow is
very well known in Indian territory and
among the friends Of Indian education
throughout the country. He has been 1fv-
ing among the Indians since 1S47, and is
PROBABLY better posted on the manner in
which the Indians have been treated dur
Ing the last half century than any other
man in the country In his letter to the
President Mr.. Murrow reviews the history
of the Indians of Indian territory and
Oklahoma since he first knew them He
says:
In Behalf of the Full Bloods.
1 presume to write to you in the inter-
est Of the full-blood Indians of this terri
tory. l believe 1 know their true condi-
ton, feelings, anxieties, hopes, fears as
well or better than any other white man
living. There were over $4,000 Indians
here when l came in 1857, and nearly all
We're full-bloods. They were a peaceful,
prosperous and happy people. They had
comfortable homes, farms and an album
dance of stock; had churches, schools and
independent people. They believed this
country would be theirs as long as grass
grows and water flows because the great
government of the United States had so
pledged to them by solemn compact.
THE civil war was the first cause of
their relapse. They were divided-about
one-half went north, half south. The men
were in the northern and southern armies.
The territory became common ground for
raiding bands of Kansas jayhaw1ers and
Texas bushwhackers. They ravaged the
4 ,l,.1 10
become refugees in Kansas and Texas,
drove off the Indians cattle, ponies and
hogs by tens of thousands, north and
south, and sold them. They burned the
was as bad as the other. At the close of
4 the war both northern and southern In
dams returned to devastated country.
Coming Of the Whites.
1.-THE war was followed by bands of white
outlaws, adventures and whisky peddlers.
Most of the full bloods went to work to re-
build their homes and regain their prop
erty They We're plundered, robbed and
sometimes murdered, until many gave up
in despair. 1t was common word among
them, There is use for us to work, make
good homes, raise cattle, get money, be-
cause it only causes the white men to
cheat, rob and kill us more"
THE influx of whites increased. Hun
dreds of white men married Indian women
to secure right in the country They in
PRODUCED their fathers, mothers brothers,
sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and
acuuaintances from all over she Empower
ished south, and everywhere else, and the
United States government protected them
in the country. Some OF these Whlte men
grew rich and influential. They united
with the mixed-bloods and controlled the
councils They pocketed most of the pub
lie moneys They fenced up most of the
best lands and leased the coal mines to
fl11-blOOdS grew poorer
and more disheartened and skunk away
from the lines of travel II there ever was
an Illustration of the camel pushing ms
Nay gradually into the Arabs tent until ne
took entire possession the encroachment or
the whites into this territory Is one OF tne
most striking. Like boa-constrlctoI
crushing him to death, so the whites nave
coiIed around these poor fuli-biooded IN
Sians and have nearly crushed them &c
death.
Opposition to Dawes COMMISSION
.srhe Dawes commission was appointed
:. ,a1taya this condition Of the full-bloods
md restore to them their rights to their
lands and property. They were oitteriy OPP
nosed TO the allotment of their lands. Ihey
said that If the government could not pro-
feet them in their tribal character now
| could they protect themselves as fnd1vid-
uaIs9 They were brow-beaten into SUD-
mission. Their opposition was worried ana
worn out. ell
Hoods hut the change has resulted in their
being cheated and robbed by piecemeal
until ere long, many OF them WIN pe pau,
ners and vagabonds, without FOOT OF iaho
or a penny of money. the slogan re
move the restrictions will never cease
until the twenty-one-year homestead III
alienable law is abrogated and when the
full-blood has nothing more that the white
man wants
Victims of Grafters.
ssMany were too poor to come to the land
offices to file on their lands. Hence, surfer
ing for food and clothing, they became
easy victims to grafters and SPECTATORS
who, by paying a small sum In cash anu
the promise of a little, more, brought them
by carloads to the land offices, especially
at Tishomingo. made them file on lands at
the grafters' dictation and sign leases for
FIVE years for almost nothing. Thousands
did not know what they were signing, and
received no copy of the leases. OF course,
thew were foolish and did not listen to good
council, often given, but they were hungry
and suffering Esau sold his birthright for
a mess of pottage. oh, Mr.. President, IT
has been an infamous business! AS these
grafters and land sharks have knowingly
and purposely robbed the full-bloods, their
leases, although having some SANCTION OF
law, should be declared null and void.
1.-THE rolls OF the Dawes commission now
show over eighty thousand citizens. In
dams. so-called, who are sharing in this
great estate. This is an increase in fifty
years of over thirty thousand. Who are
they? Forty thousand are mixed bloods, all
the way from half to sixty-three parts
white and one part Indian. Several thou
sand are pure whites, intermarried, SC.
There have been tens of thousands of other
whites who have perjured themselves by
swearing that they were Indians. Nearly
twenty thousand of these Indians are
pure negroes former slaves of the Indians,
and their numerous descendants. Only
twenty-four thousand are pure, full-blood
Indians. decrease of so per cent in fifty
year5. These are the people to whom the
country rightfully belongs by treaty. Yet
most of these get the poorest lands and are
being robbed out OF that.
81 believe that many of the United States
officials in this territory have desired to be
fair to the fuil-bloods. and have tried, to
some extent, at least, to protect and help
them. Unfortunately. the full-bloods have
not tried to help themselves. They are sui
len. They are afraid OF the whites, espe-
cially the United States courts. Many have
almost lost all hope. and regard poverty
and death as inevitable. Does survival OF