The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-03-30
GERNER BECOMES
VIN|TA BOOSTER
Karl Gerner Writes The Dispatch a
Very interesting Letter From
Land of the cherokees.


article of praise for Vinita:
Vinita, Okla. March 19.-No one
can travel very far these days with
out seeing something that is new, and
hearing things that he never knew ex-
listed.
In a trip to Oklahoma this week,
had the pleasure Of riding for the
first time in an all steel passenger car
from Chicago to Kansas City. There
was but little wood used in the con-
struction of the car. Heavy steel
beams and strong sides, and the pas
senger feels a sense of safety as he
rides. No chance of smash-up in
collision, and no burning of passen-
gers In the wreckage. These cars
ought to be in use everywhere and
their general use will lesson the loss
of life in wrecks. Travel is made safer
in them and yet when we crossed
the high bridge at Kansas City,
wondered how we should fare in these
steel chests If the train should hap.
pen to drop off the bridge into the
muddy waters of the Missouri river
A few hours stay in the union sta
tion at Kansas City was made interest
ing by watching the thousands and
thousands Of passengers arriving and
leaving. You naturally speculate as
to where all these people came from
and whittier they are going. The
American people travel more than
any other people on earth. They are
restless and cannot content them
selves in rusting away in one place.
The lure of the west is drawing thou
sands of people to the new and un-
tried lands. About every man you
talk with has the land craze. Land
seems to be the universal want. The
most of these land hunters know moth
ing about farming and they have a
vague idea that it they only owned
land they could soon roll in wealth.
The high price of hogs, corn, wheat
and other products is responsible for
the immature ambitions of people who
have lived in cities and now are crazy
to farm. Little they know of the
years of toll necessary to make the
wild lands of the far west fruitful.
We stopped at vinita, called the
gateway city of Oklahoma. This en-
terprising city has population of
about six thousand and there is stir
and hustle on the streets. This is
the heart of what is known as the
Cherokee country. For seventy-five
years the Cherokee Indians have liv-
ed here and now they, too will soon
pass away before the invasion of the
white man. It was from the lips of
an educated Cherokee that we learn
ed the history of the migration of that
tribe from the state of Georgia in
1885, to what has long been known
as Indian Territory. There were five
tribes known for years as the FIVE
civilized natives and they all came
from the southern part Of the United
States.
The Southern people practically
drove the federal government into
taking the Cherokees, Creeks, Chloe
tows, Chickasaws and Seminoles from
their ancient homes and moved them
across the Father of Waters to the
western plains. Here millions of
acres of land were given them and S
they We're told to follow the ways of i
the white man and be happy. The 4
Cherokee Indians soon adapted them '
selves quickly to their new homes. as a
they lead all the red men of this coun- c
try in intelligence, property. social v
moral and religions development. They Z
built schools and churches, they well
coined missionaries of the different u
Christian creed. they built asylums for a
the blind, the deaf and the insane. v
They took pride in their development. Il
They lead a pastoral life, raising cat v
tie and cultivating just enough n
ground to raise wheat and corn for e.
their own use. To this day but little d
OF the land is under cultivation, it n
awaits the plow Of the coming farmer. ci
The Cherokees are a proud people and
on the streets Of this city you meet
lawyers, physicians. newspaper men. tc
real estate dealers, merchants, min
listers, all proud of the strain Of Chero
kee blood in their veins Senator Ow- III
en-, part Cherokee Indian, now repre- Ihi
sents Oklahoma in the United States Ioi
senate.
Under the original compact with
the government the Indians were not Q
permitted to sell their land to the
white men and it has only been within
a year or so that this restriction has
been removed by an act Of congress
and the Cherokees can now sell their
lands to the white settlers. This is