Evening star., 1926-11-30
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Peace is at last declared to end
war which began in 1887 between the
Seminole Indians of Florida and the
United States The Government or
the United States appears not TO
have been aware that such state OF
war had continued through all the ~
vaars since Gen. Andrew jackson, as
charged. betrayed flag of truce and
a surrender of the Seminoles, through
Chief Osceola, by abductlng ana eA
ling Osceola. Such a condition Is
alleged to have continued, until now
Chief Tony Tommy comes out OF ms
trench tiguratively waving nuse
flag of truce and declaring that ne
viii bury the tomahawk if the Great
Write Father will call off his poison
pas and organize a league for peace
and freedom.
Furthermore, Chief Tony Tommy
is reported as buying full calico uni
form for dress parade in Washington
with the view to appearing at the
White House to tell the Great Whlte
Father that all is forgiven, ana ask
ing advice as to how he can 1urlher
comply with the necessary steps 10
bring about the desired end ana en-
ahla all his tribe of SeminoleS TO De-
the United StateS-With all rights ana
annurtenances thereto belonging. lie
has selected the brightest calico IN
Florida for his court uniform-sans
shoes and sans hat and sans every.
thing that is not brilliant. tie VIII
| come as the TonieSt Tommy that
ever sraced f street. His good squaW
declines to accompany him because
| II is too cold up north to go baretoot
in December. s
! At the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
| Denartment of the Interior, Chler
| Tony Tommy is counted as a mooerh
| Rim Van Winkle in asking Wnat steps
| are necessary to achieve American
citizenship, for all Indians were made
citizens in 1887 by act of Congress.
II is not required that they take the
oath of allegiance, any more than
sucb an oath is required from any
American born infant. They are In
dians: therefore they are citizens.
Thev NAV not be good Indians, but
there are many undesirable citizens
who are worse. They may not nave
independent right to sell property
which the Government, or In some
cases the State, holds in trust Tor
| their benefit, but there are other cltl-
XenS VINO, DelHS louilu Al ouS - =,
of law to be incompetent to handle
their property. must trust GUARDIAN
| to protect their interests.
In the case of the Indians, some are
found competent, and so they receive
| their property in fee and are as free
| to sell it or be cheated out OF II as
| any white American. Indians nave
no sense of values and no spirit OF
| selfishness; they give away their
property. 49,.
For example, not long ago the
Omahas and WinnebagoeS or Ne.
braska received their allotment OF
land in fee simple, within six months
they had been swindled out of all OF
| il by their white "sympathizers,
many of whom had been active for
years in cuitivating in the Indian
heart distrust of the Government =
beneficent and just guardianship. So,
! in place of holding a life tenantry on
| valuable farms, they all became pau
pers within half year of freedom.
II u X
The Seminoles Of Florida are be-
| lieved to be offshoots from the Musko-
gee or Creek tribe of Georgia and
Alabama They became wandering
| Willies," and the rest of the Creeks
called them the Wanderers" which
| in Indian vocabulary means Semi
noles" They wandered into northern
| Florida a century or more ago, and
there fought other tx1bes until they