The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-03-22

last year Every town and every com.
mercial interest in our State has felt
the balcful influence of these rcstric.
tions and the Indian himself is the
worst discommodcd of all.
our state Is i'm its infancy II is
I'm the formative period, when 1t needs
to draw upon every resource and ey-
cry fiber at its command We have
no public, State, or county buildings
on that side Of the State. No court.
houses. no jails, no school houses, and
no improved roads As a matter ~
fact outside of the towns YOU can
not cen acquire title on which to
build schoolhouses under the present
law. My bill will remedy all these
conditions completely. while that OF
my colleague will amelioratc cond!t
ions, to large extent though not
giving complete relief.
Now. mind YOU Mr.. Chairman, not
a member of the oklahoma delegation
asks that the full.blood Indian be- mo.
Tested in his last home, but We DO
ask that such Indians as are civilized
and competent De allowed io manage
their own affairs without Interference
from the Federal Government and
that the progress of our state be not
further retarded by such scnscloss re-
strictlons on the acts Of intelligent
people.
In order to thoroughly understand
the unfairncss and the creation OF
these unjust inhibiuons on the rights
Of my civilized fellow-tribcsmen, 1T
will be necessary to go back few
years and recount briefly the history
or these crstwhile wards OF Uncle
Sam.
by way Of explanation, I wish 20
say that the word civilized in the
term Five Civilized Tribes is by no
means hollow and meaningless ex-
preston. The Indians composing
these tribes have been subjected to
the bene'icent influence of Anglo.
Saxon civilization for centuries, by
education, by religion, by intcrmar-
riage, and by all other means of di-
rect association with the whites.
This very term, Five Civilized
Tribes has been applied to these
people for four generations, and for
eighty years they have had regular
constitutional forms of government
fashioned after the Government of
the United States, by which they en-.
acted regular civilized code of laws.
protecting their respective citizens in
their property rights and furnishing IN
fractions Of law and order.
Their school systems, operated en-
tirely by the tribal governments, Were
the most liberal OF modern times.
They had what they called neigh
! borhood schools similar TO district
schools in many Of the States, and
| high schools with a regular prescr b.
ed curriculum, the completion OF
which merited and eXacted a diploma,
Not only were tuition and books pro.
vided without cost to the pupils or
parents, but board, laundry, and med
ical treatment as well, and, in some
schools, particularly the orphan
schools, clothing and all other neces
stiles were furnished at no expense
whatever to the benefiCiaries.
So that the Five Civilized Tribes
have come TO be in deed and in fact
civilized. This is a bold assertion
Mr.. Chairman, but | make it withou
fear OF contradiction. dare say
there is as small a degree of illite
racy among these tribes today a.
among similar number of PEG
pie in the city of Boston, the yer.
hub of civilization on this continent
(Applause)
These Indians became dissatisfied
with their environments during tn
early part of the last century an,
, made application to their Great Whit
Father, Andrew Jackson, for "A change
This illustrious old patriot bade hi
, children seek new home in tn
, wilds of the boundless West.
After searching about over the er
p tire Western country It is no wonde
t that these children of nature chos
2 the beautiful Indian Territory, wit
/ its richly productive soil, its mill
. quable climate, its clear, running
1 crystal waters, and bountiful suppl
! Of wild game where, as many
p, them thought, they would pursue the
h worship of nature so long as gras
q grew and water ran But the India