Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-11-23
Oklahoma City Is Showing Wis
TORS What a Really Live.
Community Can Do For Her
self.
QUESTION OF THE INDIAN
LANDS A BURNING ONE
Strong and ForcefuI Are the
Two New Senators Whom
the New State Is Sending to-
Washington.
(By win C. Barnes.

Musk0gee, Okla, Nov. lbs MUS
kogee on the map? Well. yes; by a
good deal-today. at any rate.
With a new state born into the
world Saturday and the -Missis-
sippi congress today there's enough
doing down here TO keep things hum
ming every hour in the day.
II was u happy thought of the pres
ident and doubtless one that these
wide awake people down here sug-
gested to him., that the making of the
new state should occur almost at the
same time as the holding of the great
convention.
The city of Muskogee is full and
overlooking tonight. Every hotel, and
they nave some large ones, is full from
cellar to garnet and the people all
over the city have opened their doors
wide and every one of the great crowd
has been well cared for.
New Mexico delegates are not very
thick. SO far Governor Prince, c. w.
Merchant, Of Carlsbad. and myself are
the only ones here. Governor Curry is
slated for a speech tomorrow, but to-
night | learn he has wired them ne
won't be here.
Governor Prince is vice president of
the mgr and vas its first president
at the time he congress was first
held In New orleans, in 1892, / be-
lieve.
The meeting was called to order to-
day in a splendid big convention hall
OF brick and cement. built at a cost OF
$4,000 by the Muskogee men. The
huge building, perfect in its acoustic
properties, lighted by large windows
by day and myriads of electric bulbs
at night, was packed when he avel
i'm the hands of the president of the
congress, Mr.. Loveland OF san Fran
cisco, fell.
Speeches of welcome from the
mayor followed by others from va
rious persons filled up the morning
hour.
In the afternoon Ex-Governor ID. NJ.
Francis, of st. Louis. opened with a
speech, mostly confined to the present
financial troubles In which he praised
the work of President Roosevelt in
coming to the aid OF the country.
Mr.. Francis was warmly greeted as
he came to the frant, the applause
lasting fully three minutes, showing
him to be a great faYorite with these
Oklahoma people.
Governor Francis. who was, as
President Cleveland's secretary of the
interior, more or less connected with
the early history of the opening of the
Indian lands, was followed bv the
Hon. John Noble, who was President
Harrlson's secretary of interior, and I'm
whose hands was the entire plan for
the throwing open Of the lands here
80
in 1889.
MIR. Noble spoke feelingly of the
many kind words of commentator
that he had received when he visited
thrown open n stated that the say
ing that republic were ~ungrateful'
would not hold good in his case as far
as Oklahoma was concerned.
A Patriotic Incident.
Moty Tiger, the chief of the Creek
NularnA firth. Of IF1fnDa Nrag
then introduced and spoke for some
time through an interpreter.
1t seemed a little like New Mexico
to listen through an interpreter. Chief
Tiger is a young man. a typical In
dian in feature and manner. His adj
dress was dignihed and interesting.
To me IL was patriotic, for in him
we doubtless saw the last chief of this
once great Creek nation.
The Creeks are really the Muskogee
people. the name Creek being a pure
~ white mans work. Chief Tiger
spoke Of this fact. sadly IL seemed. to
me, but he accepted it as the inevitable
for his people n doubtless for the
best.
Under the present government here
the rib relations are all broken up.
The Indians receive full citizenship
and so there will be no further need
OF a chief. and with Chief Tigers
death the title will do doubt die and
thu end the whole fabric that holds
together the Creek nation.
The chief begged the convention not
10 take up the question Of the Indians
right to sell their lands. He said
most of his people were ignorant of
the white mans ways Of business
methods, that the restriction Of the
federal law that made IL impossible
for an Indian to sell his lands was a
wise one, and that the Indian himself
should be allowed to settle in his own
way and time.
An Indian a
Later on the newly appointed SEN
ator Owens spoke almost in a directly
opposite point of view.
The new senator Is a quarterbred
Creek, tall, straight, dark eyes and
raven black hair. He speaks freely
and huently and has a fine faT-reach-
ing voice and is fiery and fierce in his
talk.
Evidently there has been a goodly
crop OF federal inspectors down this
way. TOO. for ne spoke OF them dog
ging his footsteps day and night, ana
hurled defiance at them I'm a voice that
filled every crack and crevice OF the
great edihce and woke his audience TO
= storm Of applause that shook the
rafters.
Senator Owens claimed hat the re-
strictions against the selling Of In
dian lands was unwise and an insult to
NNN AA1
He claimed they were as able TO
transact business as any people ana
that he would personally appeal 10 the
president for justice to the Indians.
find his question here Is a burn
ing one and that as a general thing
the whites want II, simply because u
ties up the land against any encroach-
ments OF the whites. while the Indians
see In Il the total loss Of their lands
and ultimate beggary for them. n
looking back al the fate that befell the
old Spanish land owners IN California
when M Americans came among
them. one can't but feel that the ful-
bioOded chief Is wise and has his peo-
pies best interests az heart
Senator Gore. the blind senator.
who Is the other new senator was eisa
~ the riatform. but owing 70 a bad
coil could not speak.
This was n Disappointment as vas
anNious to hear him I've = q erlf
handsome gentleman Of Possibly ~
years. with iron gray hair. and h q