Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16


tiveS of Congress from the new
~ state of Oklahoma, who has many
plans Of reform for his people. Is
Charles D. Carter, a brilliant member of
the Chickasaw nation. Mr.. Carter wants
the government to liberate the Indian and
give him the full rights of citizenship.
Mr.. Carter has been for manysyears &C
lively identified with the affairs Of his
people, serving as auditor of the Chicka-
saw nation. in turn. superintendent of
schools. mining trustee of the Indian Ter
ritory, to which he was appointed by
President Mckinley. and was secretary OF
the first democratic executive committee
Of the proposed state Of Oklahoma Mr..
Carter describes his nationality as seven
sixteenths Chickasaw and Cherokee In
dian and nine-sixteenths Scotch-Irfsh.
This is Mr. Carriers comprehensive view
of the Indian question:
"Au restrictions placed by the govern
ment upon the alienation Of Indian lands
should be removed, except those upon the
homesteads of the full blood Indians, and
these should be eliminated when the In
dian can give evidence Of competency.
Some protection should, Of course, always
be given the full-blood Indian. I should
not think Of turning an incompetent In
dian loose at the mercy of grafters and
INSCRIPTIONS persons any more than 1
should an incompetent white man. The
American Indians are traditionaI!y a up
erty- loving people. and resent bitterly the
paternalistic attitude of the federal gov
eminent toward them
1.-The greater number Of Indians live in
the far west, $500 to 1000 miles from
Washington. The Interior Department is
so far removed from the real life Of the
Indian that the administration of his af-
fairs from Washington has always, TO
certain degree. proved inadequate.
1.-THE inadequacy OF such long-ranee
ever be obviated or overcome entirely.
but there are matters which can be cor
rected and upon which I shall insist that
some action be taken during the present
term of Congress- l am glad to say tnat
I believe we have the support OF the Sec
rotary of the Interior and others high in
authority on many of these matters.
1.-THE attitude Of the government toward
the Five Civilized Tribes in the past has
been, I think, most inconsistent. The
government admits citizenship of these
Indians: they are allowed to vote and
exercise all the rights of sovereign citi-
Gems; yet no matter how intelligent they
are denied the privilege of handling their
own individual affairs. What such edu-
Gated Indians as these need is to be let
alone; let the federal government take
it's hands off Of them and they will work
out their own salvation. Such paternal-
ist:c SUPERVISION tends to make an in
taIligent man lean for support upon an
other and destroys his self-reliance and
self. re- Spect.
1.-The proposition that successful bust
ness man, who possibly possesses an in
dependent fortune. should be forced to
submit his plans and requests to the
judgment Of another is, on its face. alb
surd. 1t is by no means the fault of the
man who passes upon this matter that
intelligent Indians are subjected to such
inconsistencies as these, but the error is
due to misunderstanding Of the in
teIligence of these people The official
passing upon this matter may be most
compete mt and worthy but that fact is
10 reason why he should be called upon
to supervise the commercial acts of a man
who has been able to amass fortune
in his own right.
-
Frauds committed on the kicking Kick
apcos, which have recently been un-
earthed, are presented as an argument
against the removal of restrictions of the
Indians of the Five Civilized Triies. Such
grating as this probably deserves the
most severe punishment. but these cases
are neither analogous or parallel. Kicka-
poo Indians are uncivilized and unedu-
Gated and of low type of intellige nee.
1t is unfair to compare these people with
the educated mixed-br Indians Of the
Five Civilized Tribes. who as a rule, ar
white men to all intents, except for rev.
nue. purposes.
There are more than 100000 persons in
Oklahoma who come under the head of