Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-08-03
MONUMENT TO RED MAN

that's what they say--that 1.-THE
only good Indian is q dead Indian"
But according to the C~ongression-
al Record. the State of Oklahoma
had a better opinion than that of a
famous redman known as Sequo-
yah. The Record gives the follow
ing account of the unwilling of a
monument to him:
"House concurrent resolution No.
II: Resolved, -. That the
statue of Sequoyah, presented by
the State of Oklahoma, to be placed
in Statuary Hall, is accepted in the
name of the United States, and that
the thanks of Congress be tender
ed to the State for the contribution
of one of its most eminent citi-
zens, illustrlous for his distin-
guished civic services.
"Sequoyah, whose statue it is
proposed to accept from the State
of Oklahoma. was born in the State
of Georgia about 100. He was the
son of a fullblood Cherokee woman
and a German trader by the name
of George Gist, who dealt in con-
traband articles. and who abandon.
ed his wife before Sequoyah was
born.
"Sequoyah grew up to young
manhood among the Cherokees in
Georgia and became a leader in the
affairs of his tribe. He not only
took an active part in hunting and
fishing, and other sports, but be
came a trader, silversmith. black
smith and philosopher and later
the inventor of the Cherokee
alphabet, upon which his chief
claim to fame rests. This inyen-
ton is most remarkable when it
is known that he never attended
school and could neither read nor
write the English language.
Following the invention of the
Cherokee alphabet, consisting of
50 characters, in 1921, it was ac-
cepted by the tribe, and he was
voted a silver medal in 1924 as a
mark of distinction. In 1923 an
iron printing press was purchased
by the Cherokees with Cherokee
and English type, from which the
Cherokee Phenix was published at
New Echota, Ga. 1t was the first
newspaper printed in the Indian
language. The paper was discon-
tinued about 1885, and another, the
Cherokee Advocate, was establish
ed in the indian territory, now a
part of Oklahoma, in 1915.
The effect of this alphabet upon
the future advancement of the
Cherokee and all other Indian
tribes is difficult to fully appre.
ciate.. Immediately after its in
vention not only we're newspapers
published in the Indian language
which could be read by all, but the
New Testament, hymns, tracts and
books of various kinds were pub
lished, resulting. no doubt, in the
adoption of the first written Indian
constitution in 1927, modelled after
that of the United States and the
several states, and the formation of
a. government with three distinct
branches-iegislative, executive and
judicial.
Sequoyah came to Washington
as one of the Representatives Of the
western tribes Of Indians in 1928
when his invention was recognized
by Congress and an appropriation
of $500 was made for his benefit.
Additional appropriations were
made by Congress for the education
of the children Of the tribe.
In 1928 he moved from Georgia
with other members Of the Chero-
kee tribe, first into the Ter. Of Ar
kansas, and later into Indian Ter.
While in Washington he con-
ceived the idea Of inventing an .
other alphabet, by means Of which
Al Indians upon the American con-
tinent speaking different languages
could communicate with each other.
lnthe earlyforties he started out
0n64 western tour to visit the west