Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-30
MATCHMAKING
WITH WHITES
Steady Absorption Of Indian Into
Body Of American Citizen
ship Il Notable.

washington, July SV. ~ passing
|of the Red Man and his slow but
steady absorption into the body OF
American citizenship, was made EVIL
dent by the recent order of the In
dian Office dissolving the Cherokee
nation as a tribal entity on July 1.
last, and placing the members Of the
largest Of the Five Civilized Tribes
On the same footing as white resi-
dents of Oklahoma.
chsrokess Prominent. !
The Cherokees have figured In
some OF the notable stages Of Ameri-
can history. ;Ethnologically they are
said to be a branch Of the IroquOiA
family, although never allied politi-
cally with the Ir0quois nation. Origl
nally they occupied the AppomattOx
basin Of Virginia but were grAually
driven south into Georgia and the
Carolinas, with branches In Kentucky
and Tennessee. Here they develop
ed the powerful confederacy which
made treaties with the United States,
and resisted the efforts OF the states
to disp0ssess them. This raised one
OF the first issues over the states be-
ing bound by federal treaties. When
the United States supreme Court sus-
tanned the Cherokee treaties, Andrew.
Jackson, , then president, made his
famous remark: well, John Mar
shall has made his decision, now let
him enforce Il"
Rapid Progress.
Tho .Cherokeas made rapid pro-
gress in education and civilization,
abandoning the chase for agriculture.
and finally developing an alphabet
and language Of their. own. This was
the production Of one of their mixed
blood members, Sequoya, or George
Guss, who invented a syllabary Of q
signs forming the basis Of the Chero-
kee language, since known as Sc
quoya. About this time a newspapers.
the Cherokee Phoenix, was started
at New Echota, In Georgia, the capt.
tai Of the Nation. The office was q
log house and the paper was printed
In English and Cherokee. Publica-
ton was Suspended after six years
by the Georgia authorities.
At the height of the Cher0kee's
prosperity gold was discovered with
in the territory and agitation. for the
removal Of the Indians soon began
After q hopeless struggle lasting for
years. under their great chief, John
Ross, the Cherokees, on December
%, 1885. signed q treaty by which
they agreed to sell their remaining
territory and move out beyond the
mississippi TO a country there to be
ret aside for them, In indian Terri
tory. /
Objection to the migration develop
ed among many Of. the Cherokees,
and General Winfield Scott was II
nally sent to forctbly remove the
1900 Indians to their new home in
the West. They suffered terrible
,hardships on the long Journey BY
foot, and II Is said nearly o%ne-fourttl
Of the number persisted. Arriving
In their new home they formed q ma
tional government, with the capitol
at Tahlequah.
The task Of converting the Chero-
KEGS from q tribal community into
body Of individual land owners. be
gan In 1902, when they signed an
agreement with the United States by
the government undertook to-
make complete rolls Of all the tribes
men and divide the land and money
among them. The Curtis oct, passed
by Congress In 1888, provided for the
valuation and allotment Of the lands
Of the Five Civilized Tribes. In 1906
the legislative and judicial depart
Of the Cherokee Nation passed
out Of existAnce, hut the executive
branch was Kept up under Principal
chief w. c. Rogers. In 1907, when
the state Of Oklahoma was formed.
all members Of the tribe became catt-
Eeps.
The task OF dissolving the Chero-
KEGS. which might, In q general way,
be compared with that OF winding
up the affairs Of an immense estate,1
had, by July 1, last, progressed TO
such a degree that 1t only remained
for the United States to execute oil
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