The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-18
ROOSEVELT TO
AID THE INDIAN
President Makes Promise to
Delegation From the New
State of Oklahoma.

Washington. April H.-"After all gem
tlemen. he is the oldest American of all
of us; SO give him fair show; give him
a chance" In these words President
Roosevelt spoke of the members of the
Tulsa. Okla, Commercial club. who with
a brass band and flaming banners called
at the White House today and made it
known to the president that they favored
the removal of restrictions upon the sale
of Indian lands in the new state.
The president told the club that he
would help them to see that they got
their rights and he wanted their help to
see that the Indian gets his.
Presidents Speech.
The presidents remarks We're as fol-
lows:
1T is a great pleasure to greet you here.
l take a peculiar interest in your great
state; and it is a great state, and is going
to be a much greater state. endeaYor TO
find out what is really for your interest
and then do it. | went over very care
fully with your representatives this ques-
ton of the removal of the restrictions
and came to the conclusion that substan-
tidl justice would be done to both the In
dian and the white man by keeping Tor
the Indian a homestead of forty acres of
good agricultural land and allowing him
to ALLEVIATE the remainder. | do not think
it is to his advantage or to yours that
there should be large tracts of non-taX-
able and non-improved land.
$500 Rights of the Indian.
Il will help you to see that you get your
rights Now | want you to help me see
that the Indian gets his rights. l will help
you in any legitimate way and / will do
my best to try TO see that the Indian is
not kept as an obstruction to the growth
of the state. But you know as well as
do that there are plenty of Indians who
are not yet as well able TO take care of
themselves as the rest of YOU extremely
able gentlemen from Oklahoma. y on can
not afford in your own interest, to do less
than Justice to the Indian, and / want
each of you to make it your work to see
that your own state courts. your state
officials. carefully preserve the rights of
the Indians, and that you try to give
him the chance 10 which he is entitled.
will do all 1 can TO secure him that
chance.
Oldest of Americans.
After all. gentlemen, he is the oldest
American of all of us; so give him fair
show; give him a chance. | have no
sympathy with that maudlin sentimental
ism about the Indian which is most in
tense the farther you get away from
where the Indian is. All l want is that
YOU shall not only give to the very able.
very advanced Indian the same show that
you give the white man; but that the
Indian who needs TO be brought along for
a decade or two, needs to be educated and
trained until he can stand entirely on
his own feet shall have your help"
The club members were accompanied by
Senator Owen and Congressman Mcclure
c. c. Magee briefly addressed the presi-
dent saying that in addition to other OBJ
jects they had come hoping TO be able
to pay the Great Father" as the delega-
tons from Oklahoma used to call him. to
aid them in securing the removal of re-
strictions upon the alienation of Indian
lands in their state and he expressed
qualification at finding that the president
had already given substantial evidence OF
his sympathy with this object.
The delegation numbered over 100 and
was greatly pleased at the attitude OF
the president and the assurance given by