The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-04-25
Statements That Bill Did Not Provide for En-.
rolling Negroes as Exposed---EUery One of
the Oklahoma Delegation, Except Mcclure,
Expected to Oppose BilI--Gore Hotly
Denounces Provisions ofBill and
Declares for Protection
of Redmen.

Washington, April 25.--The state
ment in some of the Oklahoma papers
to the effect that Congressman Carter
is making lone fight against the Nc
CURE enrolment bill, and that this
MCGUIRE bill does not provide for the
enrolment of negroes as Indians, oc-
casioned some surprise when shown
Ito members of the congress convers-
ant with the facts.
On page of the Mcclure bill,
Oh. R. 1929 will be found the fol-
lowing positive language.
Upon completion of the enrolment
work under this act the secretary Of
the interior shall certify to the sec
retary of the treasury a correct list
Of all those persons now enrolled as
freedmen who are of Indian blood and
descent and who may be enrolled un-
der the provisions of this act as citi-
zens by blood.
"Any person enrolled under this act
shall be entitled to equal participa-
Ition in the property of the Choctaws
and Chickasaws with those whose
names appear on the citizenship rolls
as approved on or before March 4th,
1907"
This ought to settle the question as
to the purpose of the bill.
Senator Gore when seen in this con-
|nection said: THE motive, the OBJ
ject and the effect of the Mcclure
bill is to convert negroes into In
dians. am opposed to this CONVEX
sion. 1t is against the laws of ma
ture, against the laws of God, against
the laws of the United States and
against the sacred obligations between
the general government and the IN
dian tribes.
''The Indians have been subjected
to repeated injuries and the multiplied
insults, but no insult and no injury is
equal to this in bare-faced unblushing
atrocity The bill will never pass the
senate. The negroes must remain me-
groes. They can not be transformed
into Indians. They have already got
ten more at the expense of the In
dians than they were entitled to, and
shall get no more. The red man shall
be protected against this deliberate
and wanton outrage. I am with Con
gresham Carter heart and soul in this
contest, and shall go with him to the
last ditch"
No less emphatic in his views on
the Mcclure bill was Senator Owens
statement, which is as follows:
Certainly Senator Gore and myself
and Mr.. Scott Ferris and Mr.. Charley
Creager are strongly opposed to the
MCGUIRE bill, and | believe Mr.. Nor
gan is too. Mcclure who is fathering
this bill, Is, believe, the only member
of the Oklahoma delegation who takes
any stock in this proposal Certain
ly no such bill can get through con-
gress. I confess l have been amazed
and disappointed in Mr.. McGuire's
action in this matter. ! cannot be-
lieve that it will serve even politi-
cal purpose beneficial to him in his
own district where he has many In
dians who will not approve doing a
wrong to Indian people"
When Congressman Ferris was ques-
toned as to his attitude on the Nc
CURE bill, and told that it was being
denied that this bill provided for the
enrolment of negroes as Indians, he
said:
What? They deny the import of
their own bill. Why, the more brazen
and baseless misrepresentation never
came from the pen of pettifogging
grafters. Your statement of the lang
uage of the bill is correct and convinc-
ing. You might have gone further
and added that the text of this Nc
Guire bill contains less than nine short
lines which do not deal directly with
the transfer of Choctaw and Chicka-
saw negroes to the blooded tribal rolls
Furthermore, everv argument submit
ted by Mr.. Balinger before commit
tees of congress has been in defense
Of bis negro claimants, and almost