Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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.