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10
Things Done and Doing Along the Line
LO, THE POOR INDIAN.
But He Made the White Man Sit Up
and Take Notice in Oklahoma
Convention.
(Washington Dispatch to New York
Times.)
Some fairly reliable reports have
finally reached Washington from Okla
homa’s constitutional convention, and
they chiefly illustrate a new quality
in the character of “Lo, the Poor In
dian.” More interesting even than the
expected color line legislation, temper
ance legislation, and the effort to re
strict corporations is the fashion in
which L. P. I. has put it all over the
white brother in the game of politics.
To Indian Territory was allotted
fifty-five delegates in this constitution
al convention, to Oklahoma fifty-five
delegates, and to the Osage Nation two
delegates. The whites of Oklahoma
were settlers who had been educated
from their youth up In primaries and
nominating conventions, and territo
rial elections had kept them in train
ing, while Lo had none of these ad
vantages. It therefore was nautral
that the Oklahoma delegates should
have begun to caucus weeks before
the convention, planning the distribu
tion of the offices, committees, and the
good things generally that are passed
around in constitutional conventions,
as well as legislatures. They gathered
in Oklahoma City and glibly discussed
the task of “organizing” the untutored
red man for his good and their profit.
The untutored red man was a shock
when he arrived, for he had been ed
ucated at Harvard, Princeton, Cornell,
Michigan, or Chicago, and he wore
tailor-made clothes and smart linen
and the latest thing in scarfs that had
reached St. Louis. For the “Indians”
of the territory are rich beyond aver
age avarice, because a paternal gov
ernment has protected them in their
property until it has reached boom val
ues. The “farmers,” as the Oklahoma
delegates called them, were heads of
banks, directors of railroads, promot
ers of gas and electric companies,
and owners of farm mortgages. The
untutored Indian had put forward his
best man.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, select
ing delegates according to the best
traditions of American politics, had
picked chin whiskers for honesty
windy little lawyers for oratory, and
a few bartenders here and there to
lead in such manipulations as might
be necessary.
The two neutral delegates from the
Osage Nation looked over the two
crowds and threw their deciding votes
with their fellow Indians. Some of
the Oklahoma delegates liked the com
pany in which they found themselves
so little, or were so upset at being
overlooked in the planned distribu
tion of the pie, that they sided with
the enemy.
The white brother had planned to
give Indian Territory a few janitor
ships. That is precisely what he got.
The untutored red man hogged the
whole business —presiding officer,
clerk, sergeant at arms, and the chair
manships of all the important commit
tees.
But the end was not yet. The con
stitutional convention was to cut up
the new state into counties. The Okla
homa delegates had made some plans
about that. But they sat aghast and
watched Lo carve up Indian Territory
to give him the greater number of
counties and consequently a majority
of the legislature, and then turn about
and rearrange the counties of Oklaho
ma for his own purposes.
The white man who represented
Beaver county in Oklahoma roared
and kicked most loudly over these
things. Four towns in his county
were contesting for the honor of being
made the county seat. The politically
ignorant Indian established Beaver
county’s seat on a farm in the middle
of the county and named it Buffalo,
because, as one Indian gravely said,
the only public improvement visible
in this new metropolis was a buffalo
wallow.
THE INDIAN POPULATION.
(The Chicago Journal.)
It has never been definitely deter
mined just what was the greatest num
ber of Indians in America when they
were unmolested and at the height of
their power in this country. Some
authorities claim that the number
could not have exceeded 1,000,000, oth
ers assert that it could not have been
more than 800,000, and still others
contend that there were never more
than 500,000. At the present time
there are about 284,000 members of the
red race in the United States.
There are Indians in eighteen states
and three territories, exclusive of the
Indian Territory. Nearly all the tribes
are west of the Mississippi, in fact
most of them are beyond the Missouri.
There are 156 reservations in all.
in the northwestern part of New
York there are about 5,000 descend
ants of the great warrior tribes liv
ing on eight reservations.
Today there are 159,000 Indians who
wear citizens’ dress in whole or in
part, and 70,000 who can read and
speak English. There are 28,000 In
dian families now living in comforta
ble modern dwellings. The Indians
make quite a strong religious showing.
They have 290 church buildings and a
total membership of about 40,000.
DEATH FOR SOCIAL BANDITS.
(The Philadelphia Ledger.)
The judicial commendation of the
jury in the Strother case is the more
remarkable because the judge, in
charging the jury from the bench, had
expressly told them that no “unwrit
ten law” could be recognized within
that jurisdiction as justifying any
man in constituting himself an aven
ger. That was his official view. Per
sonally, he thanked the jury for find
ing a verdict contrary to his charge,
a verdict which would be approved by
the public, adding that “it is an estab
lished precedent in the state of Virgin
ia that no man, tried for defending
the sanctity of his home, be found
guilty.” The truth is that the evi
dence in this case of the despicable
conduct of the man who was shot
was of such a nature that no jury, in
Virginia or in Pennsylvania, would
have found the Strother brothers
guilty of murder. It is much better
to put their acquittal frankly on the
ground of justification than upon any
far-fetched pretext of “emotional in
sanity,” which, if generally accepted,
would destroy all responsibility for
crime.
It is said Dave Francis is making
motions like running for a presiden
tial nomination. About the only place
where he would run well is on the
Cleveland farm at Princeton, N. J.
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
THEY DO YOU $231,000,000 WORTH
OF GOOD.
Washington, March 4. —Here is the
amount and the way Uncle Sam says
he benefits you yearly in only one of
his many departmental activities —the
agricultural department.
It’s worth 130,000,000 to you to know
whether it’s going to rain or shine
twenty-four hours ahead.
It’s worth SIOO,OOO to you because a
way has been found to make hens lay
more eggs.
It’s worth $5,000,000 to you to know
what helps and what hurts the famous
“poison squad.”
It’s worth $250,000 to you to have
Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, of the bureau
of chemistry, know what he has learn
ed about the sweet corn industry.
It’s worth $5,000,000 to you because
of the Introduction of the Australian
“lady bird beetle” into the United
States. .
It’s worth $3,000,000 to you to know
where there are skunks all over the
United States, according to the spe
cially gotten up maps for this purpose
by the bureau of biology.
At least, this is what the committee
on expenditures which has been in
vestigating the agricultural depart
ment says. It finds that the people
of the country profit $231,000,000 an
nually by reason of the department’s
varied activities.
*
TWO-CENT PASSENGER RATE.
The Union News and the Farmers’
Union are very glad to see so many
people “lining up” for the two-cent
passenger rate.
During the last session of the gen
eral assembly of Georgia, 1906, the
Union News seht out circulars all
over Georgia agitating the two-cent
rate, with the hope of getting a bill
passed during the Incoming session.
There is still an older history to
the question. It was in the spring of
1904 that the national president of the
Farmers’ Union spent one day and
night in the office of the editor of the
News discussing with him, and laying
plans, to secure a two-cent passenger
rate. We decided that it would be
some two or three years before we
would be strong enough to make a
leading fight for the passage of a bill
that would put the Georgia passenger
rate on a two cent basis.
The time has come and we now ask
our members in Georgia to find out
where their representatives and sena
tors stand.
Each county should appoint a com
mittee to take charge of this matter
and confer with state officials at head
quarters.
The hearing on this question by the
railroad commission will occur with
in the next thirty days.
PROSPERITY WE DON’T NEED.
(The Ohio State Journal.)
There is too much of the Harriman
sort of prosperity in this country.
n
WHAT WILL LON REPLY?
(The LaGrange Reporter.)
A few weeks ago Tom Watson fired
a broadside at your Uncle Lon Living
ston that was calculated to raise the
cuticle of that congressman’s tough
hide. The Atlanta representative has
been so busy nursing the sore spots
since that he has not taken the trou
ble to give any reply to the terrible
onslaught. We admit a little curiosity
to know just what he will say.
THE OLDEST ENLISTED MAN.
(Chicago Chronicle.)
The oldest enlisted man on the rolls
of the United States army is Sergt.
David Robertson of the hospital corps,
stationed on Governors Island. Sergt.
Robertson, who is a native of Scotland,
first enlisted May 27, 1854, and he has
been in continuous service, having the
extraordinary record of never having
lost a day. He is 74 years of age,
but is as straight as a pine tree, and
carries himself with the agile step of
youth. He knew Gen. Phil Sheridan
as a lieutenant, and his equally vivid
recollection of Gen. W. S. Hancock,
when the latter was a young officer.
Cotton Company.
To the members of the Georgia Divis
ion of the Farmers’ Union:
As cotton companies have been
formed by stockholders of union ware
house companies in other southern
states, and as many letters of inquiry
relative to the organizing of a cot
ton company in Georgia are being re
ceived at state headquarers, we, your
state officers, after having talked the
matter over with several union men,
have decided to call a meeting for the
purpose of discussing the question of
organizing a cotton company in Geor
gia.
We ask each warehouse company
in Georgia, whether your warehouse is
complete or not, to send one or more
representatives to Barnesville, Ga., on
March 20th, the date which has been
agreed upon.
The Hon. Thomas E. Watson has
agreed to draft a charter for the Geor
gia Cotton Company.
Remember the meeting is to be in
Barnesville, Ga., in the City Hall, at
10 o’clock, a. m., March 20, 1907.
Fraternally yours,
R. F. DUCKWORTH, State Pres.
J. L. BARRON, State Secretary.
J. G. EUBANKS, State Bus. Agt.
J. L. LEE, State Organizer.
*
The Sea Island Cotton Rally.
The states of Georgia and Florida
are to have a sea island cotton rally
at Valdosta, Ga., on the night of April
2nd and 3rd, with a speech by Hon.
Thomas E. Watson.
Every union man that is interested
in the question of long staple cotton
should be present to get all the inform
ation he can on this subject.
State Business Agent, J. G. Eubanks,
will be on hand to discuss the syrup
question with you.
This meeting has been arranged by
our national president for the special
benefit of the union men in Florida
and South Georgia.
Don’t fail to come and bring some
one with you.
The speech by Mr. Watson will be
public. Fraternally yours,
R. F. DUCKWORTH,
State President.
*
Celebration at Halls, Tenn.
The Farmers’ Educational and Co-
Operative Union of America is plann
ing to have a big celebration at Halls,
April 3, the occasion being the comple
tion of their large new warehouse at
that place. All the unions of the
county have been invited, as well as
the merchants, bankers, lawyers and
all business and professional men of
this and adjoining counties. There
will be some distinguished speakers
present. Among those expected is the
Hon. Thomas E. Watson, of Georgia.