Year: 1879

eral weeks in this Indian country, almost entirely in the Cherokee Ma tion, during which time 1 visited many of the most important places, and made the acquaintance of many of the representative persons among them, your readers may perhaps be interested in reading something of a country so rich and beautiful by na- ture, and that presents to the people of the United States such an anoma- lous political and social condition.

 The Cherokee Nation embraces all of that portion of the Territory bordering on Arkansas, north of the Arkansas river, reaching south east Kansas, and going westward very little beyond the M., T. & R. rail road, and it also embraces Canadian district between the Arkansas river and the Canadian south of it.

 They are much further advanced in the arts and habits of civilization than the people of the United States think they are, and in their friendh- ness and hospitality to a stranger they are tue equals in a great many respects of people not Indians, of whom a great deal more could very reasonably be expected.

 The Cherokees (and all the other tribes have similar governments ] have civil government modelled after that of the States, with officers elective by the people from principal chief or governor, down to the lowest grades of officials. They have leg islature composed of two houses which meets every year, and judi cial department, with superior and inferior courts. l had an opportu- nity to learn something personally of their courts of law and proceed ing therein, having been invited by WIZ. Boudinot, esq, very prominent man in the Nation, to visit with him the district court in session in Hi nois district, he remarking at the time, that "you will find that our courts arc very primitive in their character" We found the temple of justice to be small log house not exceeding twenty feet square, one story, with no furniture except few benches, a small table and an old stove. There was no other house near 1t, except one dwelling, nor was there any enclosure surrounding it. The district judge sat upon the bench without coat or vest, the up per part of his judlclal body being covered with striped hickory shirt. Four or five lawyers were present and about twenty or thirty litigants and witnesses. Their pleadings, practice and law are sui gcneris- peculiar to the Cherokee Nation. The only authority used or allowed, is their own code, printed book of about two hundred pages and no doubt very well adapted to their present condition, it being the work of their own lawyers, a class, who here, as in all countries, make the laws and have controlling influence in governing the people. A case was tried and motions were made and argued without any reference to the number or order of speeches, and everything was referred to the jury whether question of law or ques- tion of fact, the judge remarking after an hours argument upon a mo ton raising q question purely oflaw, that he could mot decide that ques- tion--it must go to the jurys'

 Much interest is manifested among all classes of the people in the legis- lation proposed Tn Congress with reference to thls Territory; and from all could learn from all classes of the population that l meet with, and of both sexes, I am fully convinced that the opposition to any change in the present relations to the United States, isalmost unanimous. At the same time in talking to the most in- telligent, leading ones among them; who know the history and character Of the white race as well as they do that of the Indian (and there are many such) you cannot fail to discover, that the political change proposed, is looked upon by them as one of those things that is certain to come; that the natural laws governing progressive civiliza- tion, will as naturally make the In dian Territory, some day, one of the