The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-13
10, THE POOR INDIAN
Hut he Made the White Man Sit up
and Take Notice IN Okla
homa Convention.

homa Convention.
Washington Dispatch % New York
Times.
Some fairly reliable reports have
finally reached Washington from Ok.
1ahoma's constitutional convention, and
the chiefly illustrate a new quality inI
the character Of 80, the Poor Indian
More interesting even than the expect
ed color-line Legislation, temperance
Legislation. and the effort to restrict
corporations is the fashion in which
y p. i. has put Il all the white
( ether in the game Of politics.
To Indian Territory was allotted If
ty.fve delegates in this constitutional
convention. 70 Oklahoma fifty.fiye del.
egates, and to the Usage Nation two
delegates. The whites Of Oklahoma
were settlers who hod been educated
from their youth up in the primaries
and nominating conventions. and Ter.
ritorial elections had kept them I'M
training while 10 had none OF these
advantages ii therefore was nat.
ural that The Oklahoma delegates
should have begun to caucus weeks
before the convention planning the
distribution Of tina OFFICES, committees.
and che good things generally that are
passed around In constitutional con.
yentions, as well as legislatures. They
gathered In Oklahoma City and GLIB.
" discussed the task OF "organizlngr
the untntored red man for his good
and their profit.
The sintutored red man was shock
when he arrived, for he had been edu.
Gated at Harvard. Princeton, Cornell.
Michigan. or Chicago, and he wore
taiior;made clothes and smart linen
and the latest thing in scarfs that
he'd reached st Louis, For the an.
dams OF the TERRITORY. are rich beyond
average ayarice. because paternal
government has protected them I'M
their properly until 1t has reached
boom values. The farmers" as the
Oklahoma delegates called them, were
heads Of banks, directors of railroads,
promoters Of gas and electricity COM
panies. and owners of farm mortgages.
The untutored indian had put forward
his best man.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, select
ing delegates according to the best
traditions of American politics.. had
picked chin whiskers for honesty, win.
dy little lawyers for oratory, and a
few bartenders here and there to lead
in such manipulation as might be nee
essary. a
The two neutral delegates from the
Usage Nation looked over the two
c-awds and threw their deciding votes
b their fellow-Indians. Some OF
the Oklahoma delegates liked the com.
pany in which they found themselves
50 little, or were SO upset a. being
oyerlookedsin the planned distribution
OF the pie, that they sided with the
enemy.
The white brother had planned to
give Indian Territory few janitor.
ships. That is precisely what he got.
The untatored red man hogged the
whole business presiding officer,
clerk. sergeantat-arms, and the chair.
manships Of all the important commit.
tees
But the end was not yet. The con.
ssitutionat convention was to cut up
the new State into counties. The Ok.
lahoma delegates had made some
plans about that But they sat aghast
and watched 10 carve up Indian Ter.
ritory to give him the greater mum.
bet OF counties and consequently a
majority Of the legislature. and then
tarn about and rearrange the counties
of Oklahoma for his own purposes.
The white man who represented
Beaver County in Oklahoma roared
and kicked most loudly over these
things -Four towns in his county were
contrasting for the honor of being made
the county seat. The politically ig-
norant Indian established Beaver
countyfs seat on farm in the hid
die of the county and named 1t Buff
faIo, because some Indian gravely
safe, the only public Improvement Wis
ible III this new metropolis was a
bunafd wafiow.
lge{4t2.3 Estet tIe,r $50 r.itx