The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-08-18
Investigation Started by Senator
Gore Opens Up Century's
Record of Studied Rob.
berry of Lands.
I IHEN Senator Gore of Oklaho-
" ma made the charges which
brought in the name of Vice


President Sherman he open
ed the story of the greatest middle
in all the muddled history Of the white
mans career of colonization.
When Helen Hunt, who fought for
the Indian as no one else ever fought,
published her Century of Dishonor''
the public conscience was stirred. and
an effort was made to do the right
thing by the man who, after all, was
aere frst-to give him land and let
MIN live on it. In short, we stopped
being bad and began to be stupid.
For no sooner had the Indian been
solemnly given the land, almost with
tears Of shamed apology, than we let
1t be taken away again, right and left,
hit or miss. We forgot all about him
as soon as he was duly ward Of the
nation. We had said he was protected,
and under the magnificent aegis of
this declaration he was, of course, for
ever safe.
High Commissions Cause Row.
Then began the sort Of thing that
eliminated when the McMurray firm
announced that it would sell the Choc-
taw and Chickasaw lands for them,
charging only 10 per cent of the price
paid. The syndicate that wanted to
buy was willing to pay $3O,O0O,OOO for
the rich coal and asphalt lands that
are said by some to be worth from
$1O,0O0,O00 to $3O,OOO,OOO more, and
for putting through this deal-so de-
sirable, they explained, from the In
dian point of view-the McMurray
firm wanted only the fee of 100000.
Senator Gore objected, and hence the
trouble. But there have been deals
like this a-plenty and no Senator Gore
to protest.
This same McMurray has had sue
cessful financial relations with the In
dams in the past. He was, with four
others, indicted for obtaining an enor-
nous fee from the Five Nations in
connection with the registration law
some years ago. It is a long story,
but one worth telling.
When the Five Nations were moved
WestWard-ho to make room for a civ
ilization that had no particular use for
them they were paid for their lands
and were given over 100000 acres
in what is now Oklahoma. Here they
were to live as they wanted to live
and hunt or farm, just as they liked,
unmolested by the white man.
AS we grew and waxed fat we ex-
tended anxious eyes toward Oklahoma.
The Indian land was, unfortunately
for them, very good land. No sooner
did we grasp this fact than we felt
we must take up the white mans bur-
den.
Indians Tribunals Abolished.
The red man had a certain govern
ment of his own. sort of communal
government, not undemocratic. He
thought it pretty good. Anyway it
suited him. But it stood in the way
of progress" and so it had to go. let
ting in the aforesaid progress with a
flourish of lying. perjury, graft and
other concomitants of civilization quite
amazing to behold.
It was done in this fashion: Begin
ming in 1887. certain severalty acts
were passed comforting citizenship on
any Indian who would give up tribal
life and take up land individually. In
1891 this offer was extended to the
Five Nations in Oklahoma. and in 1893
the famous Dawes commission, headed
Nv To, II r nor 0fN
chusetts. was appointed for the pur-
pose of extinguishing the tribal titles
to lands and allotting the same in
severalty to members of the tribes.
It is not to be supposed that the In
dams had anything to do with this ar
rangement. The white man took, along
with his other burdens, that of decid-
ing that the Indian should sell his
land
So it was Sold Some of it was to
come into the market almost immedi-
ately and some within five years or so
and some in twenty or more years, but
practically all was to be sold in course
of time. Over two-thirds of it has
been disposed of now.
And the money? Well, the Indians
are more likely to become charges on
the state than to buy automobiles.
There were only 100000 or so of them.
and over 100000 acres Of land have
been sold, but the Indian didn't get
the money.
One, woman sold land worth in
asphalt beds from 100000 to $s0,O0O
She was paid $1,100, but not all in
cash-oh, no! For so large a price as
that the purchaser explained that she
must take part in the form of notes.
Blind Woman Cheated.
Another woman was blind and very
very old. Two white men explained
to her that she was entitled to q
pension by virtue of her late husbands
service during the civil war. They pre-
scented a paper for her to sign, assuring
her that she would get her pension or
it's receipt in washington. She made
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