The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-05-07
THE LANDS
OF INDIANS
EFFORTS MADE TO HAVE Re.
sTRlcTIoNs REMOVED.
A Ray Of enlightenment is But Now
wedging It's Way Into Congress.
Indians Are Citizens But
Kept as Wards.

seems Only 10 nave dhu'' w '"'
termination OF those who have been
trying 10 have the restrictions on the
suiplus lands of the Indians removed. |
-~d they have now offered another |
proposition 20 congress. H. is not !
probable that they will succeed IN the !
EFFORT to have the restrictions remuv- !
"A from the surplus alloiments Of all !
tie indians. but it Is not improba-
BILE that congress may be persuaded |
10 permit the alienation Of the surplus
land Of the less than fl.rnlouds.'
who. in the meaning OF the law. have
more white than Indian blood IN their
veins
The failure Of congress on two Pre-.
yious occasions tn do as much ~ this
Is not tantamount 10 an absolute rc.
fusal II has meant only that congress
has found itself confronted with
problem toe complicated to be solv-
ed within the short time. al its dis
posal then The simplest Of the In
dian problems has some compleNity
and those related To the FIVE civilized
tribes are modified by so many pc
culiar circumstances as TO make them
the most intricate.
Primarily. much o. the difficulty
comes Of the anomalous status Of the
Indians Congress has already de-.
clared them citizens. but Il has not
been willing to relinQuish It's rights
3s guardian. These Indians. therefore,
are half Indians and half wards Con
gress Is about TO enact that they shall
have a sovcroign's voice In the selec-
ton uf a president. but It has not been
able To persuade itself to give them
the froeman's right to dispose OF their
own. II Il should give them state.
hood. as II expects 10. congress would
be In the attitude Of Affirming that
these Indians are entitled to voice
IN the government uf others. but that
they are incompetent to govern them
selves. The effort TO infer logical
conclusion from two such contradic
tory premises is one that requires
time and patience. Congress so far
has lacked the time. Congress has
been further inclined to patience ant
delay by the fear that II these Indian
were permitted TO ALLEVIATE any par
of their allotments they would b'
cleverly and eXpeditiously swindla'
out Of the property. Some In whom
the word Indian arouses slch or,o
tions as impair their iudg nents h1V,
even feared the Indian would h. hau
perized In systematic way bu
since Il has never been proposed ~ a
low them % ALLEVIATE their homo
steads. the smallest Of whlch VII a
ford a comfortable living with III
i least announcement. congress ha
come TO see that this Is m eXagger;
tion.
Other facts, too. have been brouel
ont more clearly b, the debate In IN
senate. For one thing, the sena'
learned to distinguish between III
white Indian" and the red Indian
and to appreciate that the "less tina
full.bloods" is an expression whic
as used I'm the law. means those WI
are substantially white men. tn
progress In the requirement of know
edge Is the fact which inspires Il
hone that the debate attending q
third enort to remove the restriction
will so enlighten the senate as 10 c
able it to permit the mixed bloc
10 sell their surplus lands
With this preiudicng Ignorance d
slpated. n strong argument can
made in favor Of the proposition
pormit the alienation Of some Of I
allotted lands II the present con
tions should obtain when the state
Oklahoma. made mp In half Of Indi
Territory. Is hrought into the Unit
only a little more than go per cent
IT'S area could he assessed for the q
es needed TO establish and maint'
It's institutions. Such handle
would be little better than an inh'
tance Of poverty. What would
haps be even worse. II would deer
for large part of It's white citiz'
system Of tenantry. d serfdom VIII
has few of the advantages of slav
and many OF It's evils. II would b.
condition which would not be inNit
10 such as make a desirable class
immigrants. II would perhaps be
land OF many shacks and few hon
One might question, too, If tn
could be any political tranquility 4
state of which one-half paid T,
nEtL- IL Lhn nn.t Of lhn nnNnl-n nlD IN