The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-16
CROCTAWS AND CHICS.
FAVORED NATIONS
Made Better Treaties With
Government Than Did
Other Tribes

Niuskogee Okla, March 16.-By
making better treaties with the gov
ernment than the other nations of
the Five Civilized Tribes, the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw Indians are get
ting big payments made to them as
the money comes in from the sale
ct their properties, while the Chero-
KEGS, Creeks, and Semlnoles will have
to wait for a final accounting OF ali
their property before their money
will be distributed TO them. About
year ago a per capita payment of
million dollars was made TO the
Choctaws and Chickasaws. Another
has been ordered and will begin in
May. when ha dllion dollars VIII
be distributed at so per capita. All
this money comes out of the funds
accumulated from the sale of town
lots. still another payment of $500,
GOO was ordered made some time ago
.-.to the Choctaws and Chickasaws TO
6nay for improvements that were ON
Lie segregated coal lands when the
#government withdrew them from al
Hiotment There will be but 400 In
dians participate in this payment
however. and they will get on an av
has been temporarily withheld, but
IS likely to be ordered made most
any day.
These payments are of greatest inn
portance 20 the development OF these
rations at this time The Indians
have been confined to their allot-
monts ana nave been made to feel
Tho necessity OF cultivating land.
While they have plenty OF land, in
most instances they had nothing TO
cultivate It with, and no way to get
farming implements. They are land
pcor. These payments 90 long way
towards helping them buy teams,
wagons. plows and food, which is
serious problem now that game laws
prohibit killing game except IN GER
tain seasons.
The average Indian family consists
of five people. The last per capita
payment brought TO each family Sl75
in cash. The present one viii bring
TO each family 800 in cash. That IS
big lot of money for an Indian. IL
: ~ true that in a great many IN
stances the Indians owe all TINS
money before they get It. But If
collectors are on hand to take the
money away tkom the Indian, the
result is not materially changed, for
If the old debt is paid the credit OF
the Indian Is re-established and he
can use his credit to buy what he
wants and the merchant takes his
chances on getting the money when
another payment is made, and on
MORTGAGE on the Indians crops and
the stock and farming implements
which he may buy.
There has been a great change in
Indian payments within tho past
twenty-five years. There Is more
honesty and less graft than charac-
fcrized Indian payments when the
payments were largely supervised
by the tribal Authorities. The gov
ernment now has accurate rolls OF
the Indians. and no one who Is not
q member of the tribe can get any
OF the money In former years there
were the most flagrant instances OF
perjured rolls, prominent members of
the tribes putting straw names on
the roll and drawing money for them
and putting IL in their own pockets.
The government had no way OF de-
tecting this In making final rolls
for alotments it was found that
there were hundreds of Indian names
on old payment rolls that cannot now
bO accounted for.
A payment IN those days was usu-
ally a wild scene. A payment was
followed By an sorts of crook, graft
crs and thieves hungry for the money
that they knew the Indians would
soon part with when they once got
hold Of 1t. All sorts Of gambling de.
vices we're st up, articles Of small
value that would catch the fancy a
the Indians were sold for ten times
their value. and many Indians who
travelled hundreds Of miles 10 gei
money at a payment would lose ey
cry cent OF II before they got away
-'F'ixed" horse races on which the In
dian would bet, was a favorite meth
0d OF getting money away from the
Indians. There were also collectors
from trading companies. These col
ltctOfs had the names of every In
dian that owed their firm and az
soon as his name was called Tor pay
ment, the collector was on hand q
grab him the moment be turned away
from the pay table, They did a bil
credit business With the Indians ans
knew this 4as their only chance I,
get their money. And they usuall,
got al that was due them, ana Ia .
great many instances. shameless a'
ii was. took fsom the lpdians NOR
than they owed TIE Igd'pns Werl
Ignorant. ana they trusted the mel
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