The Washington herald., 1911-03-03
STIRRING APPEAL
MADE BY RED men
Red Bird Smith Presents
Petition to President.
ASKS 0. S. TO PROTECT INDIAN
Asserts His People Are Not Used to
Ways of white Man and that
Them if They Arc Forced to Be-
come Citizens of Oklahoma.

A stirring appeal for the protection of
the United States Government was yes
terday presented to President Taft oy
Red Bird Smith, chief of the Kee-Doo-
Who Society, and his son. John r Smith,
assistant secretary of the society.
They presented a petition signed by p
6nS members of their organization, which
is composed principally of the strong
Cherokee tribe of Dndians All of the
four civilized tribes-the Cherokees, Choc-
taws. Chickasaws. and Creeks. known as
the Four Mothers tribes, are represented
in the KeeEDoo-Whas. They ask the
government to continue thm as wards of
tn nation, for tn reason that they are
not used to the ways of thew hite man,
and if, as proposed, the Indians are
forced to become citizens of Oklahoma,
it means for them starvation, beggary,
and, finally, complete extinction.
Bill Before Committee.
Capt. J. Walter Mitchell. the Wash
ington representative of the Kee-Doo-
Wha Society, states there is at present
a bill before the Committee on Indian
Affairs which provides for commission
to investigate and determine the status
of the full-blooded Indians. with a view
to determining their fitness TO assume the
duties of citizenship, or to further de-
termine whether they shall be continued
as wards of the government
Chief Red Bird, through his son, the
interpreter of the kee-doo-Wha's S, said
yesterday afternoon:
The intention of our petition is to ask
the United States. as guardians of the
Indians, especially in Oklahoma to ap-
point a commission to see for themselves
Uhe destitute condition of the people of
our race and to grant such relief as they
may see fit. We want them TO hear the
voices of our people, and then we can
persuade them of our need for proteC-
tion and our desire 10 have the arm of
the government thrown over US as a
mantle of protection We sent a party
of Greeks to see the Great White Father,
but they did not fulfill their mission, so
We had to come here ourselves"
John r Smith, full-blOOded. like his
father. received a common school eduea-
tion in Oklahoma, and was not able to
speak English until after he had grown
10 manhood He was persuaded by his
father to learn the language, owing to
the great number of interpreters who
twist the messages of the Indians so
that none of the real truth about their
desires Is known.
A reporter for The Washington Herald
was shown a belt Of wampum used by
the Indians as a sign or InelT desire 10
I've in full faith and keep in the path of
friendship with the white man. The belt
is made of three strips OF beads. showing
figures of an Indian and a white. man,
hand in hand, on a white strip, which
signifies peace There is also a small
square to represent the happy hunting
grounds where the people of both races
will 90 if they live in peace and love.
The Indians also wish to make pro-
test against the moving picture films
which represent them in various crimes.
They claim there is no truth depicted as
applied t. the members of their tribes,
who are civilized.
Wrong to the Race.
In speaking OF the wrongs done to his
race bv white men, Red Bird said he
could understand one man being a thief
or twenty, forty or a hundred men being
dishonest, but he could not understand
how a whole country could sanction the
wrongs committed against the Indians
OF, stand by and see the gradual eNtinc-
ton of the race.
To show the intelligence and learning
of the modern Indian, Capt Mitchell told
Of i paper published by members of the
tribe. called the Tahlequah Herald. one
half of which is printed in Cherokee and
the other half in English. This is the
only paper prineed in the Indian Ian
Euage
Chief Red Bird and his son will leave
Washington for Oklahoma to-day, tC
make their report to the members of the
tribes that trusted them with the appea
to the Great White Father.