Show SOME HIGH INDIANS Members of Five Tribes of Indian L Territory Will Soon Be Wealthiest Aborigines on Continent I Chnolle conditions existing In Indian Territory at present Ira without ft parallel par-allel In history Nearly OOOW Indian aro without a country and SOOW30 AVhite cil iBiiis Me not allowed lo use their right of suffrage But out of this state of mat tern lha United States Government Is busily engaged In framing a policy for the future guidance of a country that bids fair to equal nny part or the Union A commission made up of three mem beis with 3COassistants Is I now engaged 1111 Inking tho Unji 1 roll of lie I Indiana uf the different Irlbcs appraising their land and placing Ihcm on thil allotments By Jamriry i IDOI this woi k will havo been Mulshed and the Indian 1 will I I be ready to take out their naturalisation papers ao citizens of ihe United Stales To bring this to a conclusion will have Involved many years of labor und an expenditure of SlCtUvOO I So long l as grass grows and water runs by the terms of this Nations promise made In 1W2 the Cherokee Creoles Sorrlnolcs Chlckasaws and Choctaws Choc-taws were to have for their own LIil4 tract oC land known as Indian Territory So the live nllipii set up their government eiieh holding to Its own tribal forms There was not even an Indian commissioner commis-sioner sent to keel his more or less paternal pa-ternal guardianship over them But the whiles en me In Intermarried with the Miiniws fluiilcd the easygoing and Indolent In-dolent ullbloods nnd gradually gained control of lie government Then the I United Stales Government stepped in to limit the power of the whiles and pre scive tIne right of the Indians Despite I disabilities Imposed upon them the whites kept pouring In and as their number increased In-creased they so vehemently demanded recognition that the Government decided on readjustment In the Interests of all concerned The advances of the comml slon first appointed to visit the Flvo Tribes n 1li I wero slow and halting thcucch well panned Foi three years they could do nothing but ride over the Territory I Terri-tory arid meet tine big Indians who promised to do much but who never did l anything Then they sent out the report that tine Indians were harboring outlaws who committed crimes In other States I that they fullbloods were being deceived as I to the real Intentions of the United States toward their government and that the wily halfbloods who at thai time had control of tho affairs of tho Indian government gov-ernment wore using every means to 1 thwart the purposes of the commissioners all of which was true Congress replied to this appeal by delving Into the treaties with the Indians I and there finding a clause whereby it could deprive the In lan courts of their Jurisdiction whenever It KIW lit Certainly now was the opportune oppor-tune t time and the act was forthwith mused The Indians squirmed and the fullbloods threatened to rise Some uf tine old fullblood Judges refused to quit their benches hut finally they learned It was of no use to kick tim act woud bo car I ned out Other drastic measures wcro suggested by the commission and the Indians I In-dians began to make overtures Illlle by little they were persuaded to the steps which have led to the abolishment of tho I tribal rule Though comprehending fully that the change Vould accrues greatly to their individual advantage the Indians held tenaciously to the traditions of tho tribes and surrendered them only when I thoy saw that the new movement was inevitable in-evitable AVEAITII FOR THE INDIANS When tho division Is I made those I who havo fought so hard and so loudly against It will bo probably the richest savages In the world The country which will bo PUIcelled out among them Is I Inrger than the Slate of South Carolina and of great beauty and variety Most of tho soil Is very fertile The water supply Is ample A belt of plen lcr oak forest thirty miles In width runs through tho Territory and many other valuable woods arc found there Rich pasture lands afford fat grazing graz-ing for thousands of sheep and cattle Two million dollars worth of coal was taken out of Indian Territory last year It Is estimated that tho products of tire soil for tho year Itfft amounted to JOOirOOOO Besides these things petroleum in largo I quantities Is known to lie beneath tho soil and valuable veins of lead and zinc are Indicated by rich outcropplnns which have never been mined A line climate and beautiful scenery mako this country coun-try ono of the garden spots of the Na tlon All this goes to about S7000 Indian rtO OM acres being divided about equally among the different tribes There arc In dians and freedmen negroes whose ancestors an-cestors weo or who nro themselves freed slaves of Indians who hate head rights In tIne different nations as follows Cherokee Cher-okee freedmen 1CCO Cherokeos 3JOGO Delawares having had rights In Cherokee Chero-kee nation 1000 Creeks 10000 Creek freedmen COOO Choelaws 16000 Choctaw freedmen 5000 CJilckasaws 7000 Chickasaw Chicka-saw freedmen WOO Seminoles DCOO Tho Cherokees have Invented or loaned to tho United States 2C > 00 Tho Creeks havo J2WOChX thus loped the Chlckasaws 1 rOS000 the ChocWws lt000 nnd the SemInoles Sem-Inoles S1500COO It Is estimated by Tams Blxby chairman of the commission lo tho Five Tribes that each Cherokee citizen will get 12 acres of land of average value a > his allotment the Creeks will gel between be-tween ICO and 2fO acres the Seminoles about 160 the Chlckasaws and Choctaws about fiQl acres etch Besides tills land they will get equal shares of the Invested funds which are to be paid to them Just as soun as they havo all selected their allotment is RESULT OF THIS ENRICHMENT What will become of theo Indians thus suddenly enriched In tho opinion ot those who know them best tho outlook for them Is l not hopeful Conditions at prcs cut aro In a chaotic stale and It does not seem likely that living conditions will Improve vhan tine Indians own the Tcr iltory Towns with a population of 00V or CCOO people have no sldewilks at all and no roads worthy of the name After a heavy rain business Is practically suspended sus-pended Tho buildings ore of the Jllmsfcsl character In the farming districts tim Indians will not Improve their farms because be-cause they have no positive assurance where they can take up their allotments Fow of the fullbloods send their children to school At present tho whiles of whom there are COOCOO In the Territory have practically no rights They cannot own land and prior to a recent decision they have not oven been allowed to own houses or stocks of merchandise so that any white deslrlng to do business must do It under Iho name of an Indian I or of an Intermarried In-termarried citizen having Indian rights Many whiles married squaws thus obtaining ob-taining tribal rights and tine hilfbrced children of those unions are tho mosi In lejllgent and progressive members of tine Indian community Others paid tile monthly lax of > 0 cents and hired out to the indolent Indian farm ownois or storekeepers store-keepers necllmululins money by Industry and thrift H Is from this class that tho danger lo the Indians portends These whiles know tire valuo of the lands They have or can get money As soon as tire Indian takes up his allotment 11 Is his lo do with as ho pleases There Is Illlle doubt that inmost In-most cases as rcgaids he fullbloods who mako up about onethird of tine total Indian In-dian population they I will sell out to lie whltcs It Is generally predicted lint they will soil out amost In a body and emigrate to Mexico lo llnd a wilderness wherein they can rear another cdlllco of tribal mismanagement I while the half breeds will rcmulu to becomo citizens of tiLt now State that will eventually bo made out of tho Indian Territory VIIy follows are theso halfbreeds who well understand the valuo of what Is coming to them Far and wide they have roamed prospecting for lead zinc coal and oil and their discoveries they have kept secret se-cret with a view to getting their allotments allot-ments where these treasures lie Then when local or Eastern capita comes with money In both hands the hallbreed will bo In a position lo get about what he asks Tourists from the ICast visit Indian Territory Ter-ritory rather expeellng that wild Indian clicl In blankets and gorgeous paint will bo found hanging around the towns aiui railroad stations and avidlously eyeing iho sojiJp of the paleface invader Instead one meets a race of dark skinned people some highly educated and glad to meet you others a little stubborn with the deeply imbedded hatred of tholr race against the whiles but nil far above the blanket Indian of the cservallon They come quietly and peacefully to the enrolment places making of the enrolment enrol-ment days a sort of picnic Most of them even the fullbloods wear time dress of civ ilisation OIK of tile men who will be como a clUzm of tIre United States IK iekc Proctor a Cherokee and a bad Indian Revcril vcars > mao he killed seven men near WpHtvllle and shot the deputy mnrshnl I who tried I to arrest him As n rule the t fullbloods ire doello and even kindly hut they have not tine ability or fneiKv of the hnlfbreeds and It Is probable prob-able thnt they will soon become extinct At piesonl 1 lie Five Tribes are the plulo ernts r > f line American Indian race What they I will bo lifter they have come Into I i heir full heritage Is a problem upon thu solution of which may depend the Governments Gov-ernments treatment of all Its other wards Should this scheme of naturalizing the Indians prove a success it may be repeated re-peated with oilier tribes Kansas City Star S f |