The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-05


 not respected. Civilization was march, ing on. and civilization was in rage. Families were separated. oSn was taken from sire. child as taken from mother--the woman in travail. the in- fant at the breast. was ordered to move on"--civilization the whirlwind 1t is, required room. No shelter was provided and the weather was not pro- eruelest ever known. and the way of that cavaran could be traced by new made graves.
 When the iong. toilsome. cheerless rived in the new lands set apart for them. the Cherokees were without shelter and a vigorous winter was at hand, Its surly blasts ready 10 sweep over the plains. Rain snow. cold did their cruel work and 5000 above the normal death rate perished that win ter Rome's conquest of India, Spatn in Mexico and Peru. England in India. left not more infamous trial than this tyranny our free Republic prae t1ced on an inoffensive people. And 1t was some scores of years before "Hell-roaring Jake" Smith made his
 By the rivers of Babylon. there we sat down. Yea, we wept when we re- membered Zion.
 We hanged our harps on the will lows in the midst thereof
 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that watched us required of us mirth. saying, Sing us ono of the songs
 ".How shall we sing the Lords song in strange land?'
 If forget thee. o. Jerusalem, let my right hand forever forget her cup
 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth 1T I prefer not Jerusalem above my
 Remember, Oh, Lord. the Children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said. Raise it. raise it. even to the foundation thereof
 @ daughter of Babylon. who are to be destroyed; happy shall he be ed us.
 dasheth etaas thy little ones against the
 It was thus that Is recorded cruel ty Of the Babylonish captivity in the Psalms; of David, but none has told pie children of nature who were forced from their homes in Georgia to herd on a new land, under a new sky, across the great river.
 Out of that removal arose the claim of the eastern Cherokees, just settled by the Supreme Court. By the treaty or 1928 the United States contracted Cherokee who would go from the East to the West. and that convention was renewed in the treaty of 1885. Con- gress paid the obligation, but paid. it property of the Cherokees. For years and years the United States put off the fighting of the wrong. The Cherokees were again tricked in 1S46. kees knocked at the doors of Congress for justice in vain.
 But 6 time came when the United states coveted certain lands held by the Cherokees in their Western homes, and the government proceeded to treat for purchase. The Indians insisted that 1t would be we'll enough for the government to pay. what 1t had been owing so long before another trade was made, and the government agreed to audit the thing and pay off That was how Oklahoma was opened to set clement.
 This Is the richest government in the world. but often the slowest pay. Given 8 watch dog in Congress with more ove for notoriety than regard about the only thing he has any re- sReot for. Pensioners have votes We'll. a watch dog prevented the gov eiaim eInme1r 1t fFSm 1ss1 Payi1g the Cherokee permitting the Indians to sue the gov ernment in the Court of Claims, and tnat was done. They got Judgment for $L111,2s4, with interest at 5 per fused to pay, and referred the thing to the Attorney General for review. Some clerk in the office reported ai; against the claim. and the thing was Interior Department refused to allow the lawyers of the Cherokees to mem tion the thing to it.
 the cherokees employed Robert L. owen to undertake the case. He im- mediately proceeded to Washington ana secured the passage of a resolu- tion through Congress Ruthorizing the Court of Claims to ascertain just what the facts were. and in 1902 that tribu- nal made its finding favorable to the claim. The thing kas appealed to the in May, 1905, the court allowed the claim. The thing was appealtd to the Supreme Court. and in May, 1906, that Court of Claims. Thus this gre great t. gov ernment was a repudiator of a just debt for all the years from 1888 till 1906. And it would have been a re- not wanted Oklahoma for It's white citizens. insatiate In theiS hunger for land.
 line of the case. Much have omitted Details 4 have avoided as tedious to the general reader. The main facts are the outrage perpetrated on the the exodus. the dishonesty of post poning payment of just and >legaI oh ligation.
 I now want to say something abou, Owen. himself of Cherokee blood. He made the leading argument in both the Court of Claims and before the
 
 Justice Mott. of the former tribunal stated that Owen's speech before him was the ablest that had been made before that court during his entire Tn a speech in the Senate, remarked that justice of the Supreme Court said to him that Owens speech before that tribunal was one. of the finest arguments he had ever heard
 Robert L. Owen was born at Lynch burg, Va. forty-five years ago His father was colonel in the Confed- crate army, and subsequently, presi- dent of the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. His mother was of Scotch Irish extraction, Narcissa Chisolm born in the Cherokee Nation. and of Indian blood. MT. Owen, after gradu- ating at Washington and Lee with distinguished honors. went to the Cherokee Nation and became a teach CT In the schools of his mothers peo- pie. He was secretary of the board of aducation. and was Indian agent for the Five Civilized tribes from 1885 till 1889. As fiscal agent of the Choctaw Nation. he disbursed $1,436, 900. He was leading counsel fthe Choctaws and Chickasaws In the famous "Ieaeds district" case, and recovered S2,991,- 450. and for the Western Cherokees he recovered $S00,000. He was the founder of eight towns on the Chero- kee Outlet. He was instrumental in securing the act of Congress estab- fishing a court with civil Jurisdiction in Indian Territory, and drew the bill hlmSelf HA is disfin nnishnd ana