New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-03
PRESENT DAY INDIAN.
Light on His Condition in Report of
Indian Rights association.

Upon the characteristics. some OF them noble
and some Of them weak upon the surroundings
and influences some for good and some for bad
which entering into the life of the present
day Indian. considerable light is thrown in the
twenty-fourth annual report of the executive
committee Of the Indian Rights Association for
the last year, which recently made It's appear
ance.
After calling attention TO the reasons which
led the association to address memorial TO the
United states Senate and House of Representa-
tives on the subject of the creation of state
out of the lands comprising the Indian Terri
tary and the subsequent legislation which re-
suited in the law enabling Oklahoma and the
Indian Territory to form state. emphasis is
laid upon the fact that the association was in
strumentaI i'm having incorporated in the State
hood bill a clause under which all persons are
prohibited from manufacturing. selling. barter
ing. giving away otherwise furnishing intOX-
icating liquor within the state for a period
Of twenty-one years from the date Of admission
of the state 10 the Union. and thereafter until
the people Of the state provide otherwise by
legislation
Attention is called by the report 70 the effec-
tive legal stumbling blocks which have been
placed in the path of land grabbers who seek
TO profit through getting old, ignorant or de-
return for some small service which may have
been rendered Section % OF the act, providing
for the final disposition Of the affairs of the Five
Civilized Tribes. provides that will OF full
blood Indian devising real estate shall be
valid If such last viii and testament disinhertts
the parent wife, spouse or children of such full
blood Indian. unless acknowledged before and
approved by a judge Of the United states Court
for the Indian Territory or United States
Commissioner.
one case cited as an illustration OF what this
particular type of Iandgrabber will do when
not restricted by law IS that in which an aged
ChOctaw woman, who, in addition TO her own al
lotment Of lands had inherited three additional
alIotments. was prevailed upon by an attorney
who had done her some service in the matter
IF securing higher rentals from one tract 70
name him as heir to her estate, aggregating in !
value $4,000 or 10000 The viii had been ex-
ecuted only few months before the old woman
died. Her kin could not legally claim the prop
arty she had wiIed away. The evils To which \
the recent legislation has now put stop are
best summed up in communication from
prominent member of the ChOCtaw tribe. who in
writing to a member OF the Indian Rights Asso-
citation on the subject. expressed himself in this
fashion,
l hope YOU will succeed in creating a seuti-
nent against that clause in the Curtis bill allow
HE an IuQlan To make VIII giving his property
10 men OF any nationality, the consideration
being support during the Indians lifetime, auI |
or the following reasons:
Ffrst-ThUs far men have sought only old and
gnoTant Indians on whom they wish 70 bestOW
heir qUintupIy rewarded charity If these men |
sought out young. bright orphans and took them
n their homes and placed them in school. it |
would not seem bad, but l have heard Of none
II the latter kind of cases. but only the former
Secoud-Charity should only avoid being |
vii but should also avoid the very appearance /
b a law
white man. and non-Citizen. seeks out an Old, |
gHOTant ChoCtaw woman and has her sign I
laperS about the contents Of which she knows |
absolutely nothing. and all under a pretext OF |
harity. such a man. regardless OF nationality, |
5 doing that which IL repugnant 10 our COM
honest instincts of what true charity is
Third Thus far 1 have only heard of lawyers
md grafters availinE themselves of this piece
# Congressional protection for Indians. IL may
'e that no one else has the gall hope SO. IT
Fourth-These men who seek out Indians and
write Wills FOR them making themselves the .
,enehcaries never take these people into their
Ovels
Fifh-In each case the parties to the VIII.
10Th the maker and the beneficiary. are strang-
rs 10 one another and remain This feature
lone condemns the whole thing infamous.
StXth-FinalIy. the bare statement OF these
asses is the hardest thing that he said
gainst this law. The very idea of any man go
ng out seeking some old. WORKOUT Indian woman
nd taking witnesses and United States COM
liSsouers and prOstituting solemn an instru-
1ent OF law as a will. to the Interior object Of
ecoming the devisee to her lands. is repUgnant
o every mans sense Of honor and deCenCy.
When we hear of such a man, however DESTROYS
re may he 10 exercise charity toward him still
ur mind invountarily calls up the second clause
Peter Y, = But enough; YOU don't need
ny help to kill this thing
AS illustrating the methods adopted by some