The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-24
INDIANS AS
MONEY SPENDERS
Something to Eat, Blankets and
Hack Rides Their
Ambition.
MONEY FROM ROYALTIES
EACH INDIAN RECEIVES SUM OF
$2,421 FROM ANNUITIES.
MONEY FROM ROYALTIES

Kansas City, April 23.-The 223O mem
bers Of the Usage Indian tribe during
the ten years that closed with the federal
fiscal year received the exact sum or
70. 400. $500 from annuities on their moneys
IN the United States treasury, from oil
and gas royalties and from pasture land
rented to Texas cattlemen. The share of
eacn tribal citizen was S2,421.S2, but that
does not include all the sources of in
come enjoyed by the Osages. many of
whom 'squatted" on tribal lands and
rented them for farming purposes, the
income going to the squatter claimant
In addition nearly every Usage planted
small field of corn for his own use
Ihelr simple mode OF life should have
made unnecessary the expenditure Of any
considerable portion of their income.
There were families whose total annual
receipts in cash ran from S1,J00 to $1,000.
Yet the statement is made that nine out
or ten OF the OsageS spent their money
like princes and did not save cent
How much fun did the Osages get out
OF their S0,000OG0 and into whose pockets
did It finally fan are questions that ma
teriaIy suggest themselves. An Osage's
main idea Of fun is something to eat and
the wearing of gaudy blankets and buck
skin mOccasins. He will go against any
game that tickles his imagination or van
ity. He can not Withstand the temptatiOn
offered by traders in piling their windows
fuil of good things to eat and in lining
their counters with gaudy ornaments for
personal adornment; he buys to the limit
of his credit, and is still ready to buy
when that is exhausted.
The Usage is a pleasure loving chap and
is mainly responsible for the fact that
Pawhuska is known as the best hack
town Of its size in the United States" 1t
has population of about 5000 and main
tains with profit eleven hacks as good as
may be found in Kansas City. There is
an all night hack stand in Kihekah ave
nue., the principal thOroughfare.
nr-uT rod Inpu.n 1ir-a % l.,
dian village, a mile or so north of Paw
huska. and many times a day a hack
driver may be seen flying along with a big
Usage reclining in grandeur in the car
riage, surrounded by his squaw and sew
eral children, on his way to the village or
coming to PaWhuska. The Usage enjoys
cushioned luxury and greatly prefers it
to jOlting along in an Indian wagon drawn
by two ponies that do not fear the whip.
The hack habit has spread from the
Indian to the white residents of Paw
huska and commonly men jump into a
hack to ride only block or two and flip
a quarter to the driver with the greatest
nonchalance.
An old-timer said lately that the pres
enee of so much easy money" had not
encouraged habits of thrift, that there
was something in the atmosphere that
made everybody a good spender and that
in the Usage country a bluff would lead
a man to bet the limit on two deuces
quickly where in other places 1T would
induce him to shove his chips to the CEN
ter with three aces in his hand. They
spend their money" he said, ''Just like
Indians"