The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-10-31

PAOSSht OCCupdHJ OIL Ine presidential
chair did not hesitate to nullify this
good work by the exercise of the veto
power.
AS to Colonel Rooseyelt's attitude,
ut is only necessary to call your at
ltention to the fact that one Of the last
acts of his administration was to in
stitute some 10000 suits against all
classes of transfers, whether legal or
Illegal, thereby upsetting every land
title in the eastern part of the state.
Both these administrations have
construed the act of congress April
25th, 1906, as giving them plenary
power to use any part of the tribal
funds for any purpose whatever, pro-
viding they considered in such pur-
pose for the benefit of the Indian.
Under this, construction of the law
millions Of dollars of tribal funds have
been squandered each year in the en-
ployment of useless Indian bureau Of
ficials. have offered amendments to
stop this for the past three years, but
was never able to put the amendment
through until we got a democratic
house, and even then we were only
able to stop this extravagant waste of
the funds Of the Five Civilized Tribes
latter the most desperate struggle by
the administration forces in the house
and senate, which carried US almost
to the point of dangerous physical en-
counter
President Taft has served four
years and ex-President Roosevelt has
served seven years, through all which
time there confronted them on the
tatute books solemn treaty obliga-
ton to wind up the affairs of the Five
Civilized Tribes by March 4, 1906, and
during all of which time neither made
any effort to comply with this sacred
pledge of the federal government to
its wards. During all of this time
and ] think | speak without fear OF
cantradiction-the administration of
both President Taft and Colonel
Roosevelt did all in their power to
delay and impede a final settlement
of tribal affairs.
Roosevelt Found Wanting.
In short. we tried Mr.. Roosevelt
as president for seven years and his
administration left us more than
thirty-nine thousand law suits upset
ting titles to and destroying at least
one-half the value of every acre of
land allotted to the Five Civilized
Tribes, and in driving nearly every
dollar of foreign capital out from the
east side of this state. We then tried
Mr.. Taft for four years, and among
other iniquities too numerous to men
ton. he vetoed the Dead Claim bill,
putting to rout whatever balance of
foreign capital had the courage to re-
main after Mr.. Roosevelt's wholesale
bringing of suits.
q repeat and want to impress upon
YOU the fact that these local matters
are of far more vital consequence to
YOU no matter what your politics may
be, than all national issues combined,
for upon the settlement of them de-
pends the progress and prosperity of
this part of the state. Upon the set
tlement of them depends the stability
and profit of the investments you may
intend to make; upon the settlement
of them rests the possibility of your
farmers and, laboring men acquiring
title to home in this country.
"Will you confide the settlement of
these matters to Theodore Roosevelt
of land suit fame? Can YOU rely on
Mr.. Taft, who thwarted our efforts to
carry out the intention of existing law
by the veto power? Both of these
gentlemen have shown by their every
THREE-POWELD ... -. -.
act utter lack of sympathy in adjud-
icating land titles in this part of the
state, and complete failure to ex-
ecute expeditiously the laws which We
have placed on the statute books for
the settlement of tribal affairs. There
is but one man in this race for presi-
dent who has not proven his absolute
to the people of Oklahoma,
and that is he who now leads the hosts
Of democracy in this campaign-that
grand and matchless statesman, Wood
row Wilson of New Jersey
$50, my friends, let us lay aside our
politics; let us forget on the next
election day that we are anything else