The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-04-07
PROUD CREEKS LONG Fight
AGAINST HATED PALEFAcE

OKLAHOMA CITY, April t.
Back to 1S32-perhaps to 1492-
the Indian troubles Of Oklahoma
find their origin.
The Creeks, strongest and
proudest of Indian nations, could
never understand or sympathize
with the white men. Their meth
DDS of living were different and
they wouldn't or couldn't change.
The Creeks nation, the general
branch to which belonged Chero-
kee and Choctaw and Chickasaw
and Seminole, met DeSoto with
poisoned arrow, and warred
against Oglethrope when he start
ed a debtors colony which was to
become the state of Georgia.
Through all the Indian wars, the
American revolution, and the war
of 1912, the Creeks were fighting
white men. They would ally
with the French, the Spanish, the
English-they were always fight
ing against some white race. They
didn't care much which.
Andrew Jackson gained part of
his reputation by his fights on the
Creeks when their undying hostii-
ity to the whites had aroused the
new country to a frenzy. In sue
ceeding years the American execu-
tives bent their energies to getting
this powerful and troublesome ma
ton, which would not be placated
nor remain peaceful, clear out Of
the country.
This brought the treaty of 1882,
by which the Indians were sent
beyond the Mississippi. 1t was
only reached after several new
wars, and after two or three chiefs
who were willing to treat with
the victorious white men had been
condemned to death by their own
tribe.
The white men who negotiated
$ the settlement were ready to
promise anything. They weren't
responsible for the future. They
couldn't be held for future obliga-
lions. They were shelving the
problem.
So they promised the Indians
these white men did-that If they
would just go peacefully across
the Mississippi, they could have
all the land there was out there,
except the part embraced by the
states of Missouri and Louisiana.
They could have the rest of the
continent forever. If they would
only clear out.
Perhaps those white men didn't
foresee that their children would
want to settle west of the Missis-
i sippi. But that's what happened.
Out of the red mems boundless
territory was carved state after
state, finally leaving only Indian
territory. And this, the red men
were told, should be really and
truly theirs forever and ever and
ever.
But the white people all around
them coveted the rich lands. They
cut the Indian territory In two and
made part of 1t Oklahoma.
Still they weren't satisfied.
There was still lots of rich country
there. They wanted 1t. They used
specious arguments. Great terri
tory unproductive-loss to the
World-Indians didn't know what
20 do with the country--were bet
ter off without It. They con-
WINGED themselves that 1t was bet
ter for them to have the land
than for the Indians.
By 1893 congress was ready to
drive the Creek nations from its
last stronghold. It was done
through commission. The Dawes
commission was to count the IN
dams, organize them into separate
divisions along tribal lines, survey
the land, then figure one quarter
section to each Idnian, and let the
rest be sold in open market-to
the whites of course.
With this re-allotment the
Greeks were not content. Some of
the tribes were. They sold the
lands or cultivated their own.
Some sought education, learned
the white mans way, grew rich,
built civilized houses.
But not the Creeks. They re-