Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-09
JEFFERSON TO THE INDIANS
Famous Letter Written Century AGO to
Chiefs Who Visited Him.
TWO SURVIVORS OF lOwAs AND ToNKAwAs
Diplomatic EROrt to Impress Red
Men with strength of white
People is Preserved by
Sacs and Foxes.

GUTHRIE, okl, April S.-(speciaL)-
Theresa Roubideaux, an Iowa, and Elsie,
a Tonkawa, are the only two members
living of Indian tribes, to whom Thomas
jefferson, president OF the United States,
addressed a letter on April II, 1906, 100
years ago next Wednesday. Theresa was
16 years old when that letter was received
and Elsie was about years Of age. Today
both are revered by their tribes because
OF their great age. This letter, written
by President Jefferson, was only recently
unearthed from among the archives of the
Sac and Fox tribes in eastern oklahoma
Prior to its writing an august body Of In
dian chiefs had called upon President JEFF
ferson at washington, and upon their de-
parture he gave them au autograph letter
for them to carry back with them to their
home in the far west beyond the Father
Of Waters" EN- route 20 Washington the
chiefs also visited st. Louis. New York,
Philadelphia. Boston ana Baltimore and
were received all along the line with as
surances OF good will and intention on
the part Of the white people of the United
States.
It is not remarkable that a letter written
by the third president of the United States
| Is extant for he wrote letters by the hun
| dred and at time, too, when his fame was
| such as to cause his letters to be treas
ured. But Il is remarkable that n fragile
| sheet Of paper could be kept for 100 years
/ by tribe of wandering Indians who, dur
ing the greater part Of that time, had no
more substantial habitations than bark
! huts. The letter was addressed to the
Pawnees Poncas, Otoes. Tonkawas, Osages,
| Missouris, Sacs, Foxes, Kansas, Potta-
wattamies and Sioux and was evidently
! treasured by those into whose hands II
! was given by the president. The Sacs and
| Foxes. from whom It was recently secured
seemed to have no knowledge of its i'm
port, but were keeping II among other pa
pers OF a more or less historic value.
Long Journey to Washington.
The journey made by the chiefs at that
time TO Washington was remarkable one.
| Even now with railway facilities the trip
is long and tedious from Oklahoma to the
! national capital. Their journey was made
twenty-sx years before Washington Irv-
ing made a similar trip upon which his
story, "A Tour of the 'Prairies," was based.
1t was twenty years before Secretary John
Calhoun negotiated treaties with the Five
Tribes to migrate to this locality, a place
a white settlement would never surround
| it. 1t was twenty-five years before the
| Cherokee Indian migration westward be-
gan. At that time the Osages occupied
southern Kansas and the reservation now
occupied by them in northeastern Okla
| homa. The Pawnees kept farther to the
westward and spent the most of the time
on the open prairies.
The other tribes mentioned in the letter
occupied the present Oklahoma at certain
seasons of the year. wandering also up
into Kansas and Nebraska. All of them
depended for their living upon the herds
of buffalo which grazed ir countless num-
bers from the 9Sth meridian to the noun
tain Businesses on the west. They were
often at war among themselves, but il
seems that in 1906 their interests in Wash
ington overshadowed their grievances, and
representatives OF all the tribes went to
see the Great Father. Some OF these
tribes had not before been represented by
delegates to Washington since the Lou
isiana purchase went into effect three
years before.
stroke of Diplomacy.
The letter Jefferson gave them was a
stroke of diplomacy. In 1906 the Indians
were strong enough to wage war against
| the government WIN chances TOT frequent
victories. At that time the government
made treaties with the Indians, which
were to last as long as water continued
20 run and grass to grow, but often the
terms of treaty were broken before tn,
ink upon it became dry. Perhaps Jeffer.
son had sent for these chiefs to visit
Washington in order to impress upon then
the futility of fight against a people sc
strong. His letter indicates as much, foi
he calls their attention to the greatness
and strength OF the white people--to the
distance they had Travelled through whit,
settlements, and reminds them that the
white man was a newcomer al that.
The letter is given below just as it wa,
written by President Jefferson, the quaint
spelling OF the Indian names appearing
as in the original manuscript:
my Friends and Children, Chiefs of tn,
Osages, Missours, Kansas, Otoes Pants
Ayowas Sioux, Pottawattamies, Tonka
was, Foxes and sacs: Your visit to us a
this place has given me great pleasure anC
am very thankful for your having taker
the trouble OF so long a journey for THU
purpose But l hope It win turn out al
useful to your own people as to us / la
ment indeed the loss OF several of you
chiefs by sickness Accident and tn,
tidnbe III ulel ana manner OF living ndNi
probably occasioned this, and the will o
the Great Spirit to which We must al
submit.
MY children, you have had opportuni
ties OF seeing many things among us. Yol
have seen how, by living in peace cult
waiting the earth ana practicing the usefu
arts we, who were once but a few trav
elers landing on this island, are now
great people and are daily growing greater
You, too, possess good land and an abun
dance of it. BY cultivating that and b!
living I'm peace you may become as we are
You have seen here some of the Cherokee
and Chlckasaws, who just now be
ginning to follow our advice, to raise foo,
in plenty from the earth. TO make thei
own clothing. to learn the useful arts
and 10 live in peace. Instead OF lesseninl
in their numbers. as they did while the!
followed war and hunting. they now begil
10 increase, to live in peace ease an,
plenty. II will give me great pleasure 4
see all the nations Of red men following
) their example and advancing in knowledge
} prosperity and happiness We shall d
} everything in our power. my children. 4
encourage and aid them in this. We can
, not do it at once and 10 all, becaus
7 there are many nations, but we will pro