Volume 15 , Issue 23

Major Kidd Scores Officials of the Territory (1894)

In The Norman Transcript (Norman, Okla. Terr.), Vol. o6, No. 12, Ed. 1 Friday, 21 December 1894, we also found this mention of Major Kidd, of the Dawes commission, when Kidd made things quite lively the other day before the House committee on Indian affairs. It was interesting to some of the officials of Oklahoma to have heard what Kidd had to say about them.

Major Kidd was something of a democratic official, and in his statements concerning other democrats holding official positions were given additional interest. Major Kidd said that United States Marshall Nix, of Oklahoma, and his deputies gave a great deal of attention to the matter of punishing Indians in the Osage country and very little attention to the matter of gathering in the bandits that infest that region. The Major observed that the marshal's officials of Oklahoma were noted for the persistency with which they drag Indians 200 miles for the supposed offense of having introduced whisky into their own reservation and do all this for the big mileage in it and at the same time sneak around over the country trying to avoid the remnant of the Daltons and the present Cook gang.

The Major declared that the only wonder about the whole matter was that United States Marshal Nix or his deputies would venture so far away as to try to catch an Indian in the Osage country when it was suspected that the bandits were around. But it was suggested that possibly the officials had made arrangements with the bandits before starting after the Indians. In this way the officials of Oklahoma were holding up the treasury of the United States while the bandits were holding up trains and express companies.

The deputies and officials were making arrests simply to get the enormous fees out of them, and the only way to distinguish between bandits was to remember that officials rob the United States while the other class of bandits take their chances on the pubic at large.

This was a terrible roast on the Oklahoma officials, and it was thought that the remarks may result in and investigation, eighteen not he part of the attorney general or by the next house of representatives. Major Kidd injected these statements by way of showing that the Osage reservation should be added to the Indian county instead of remaining with Oklahoma. He also favored a territorial form of government for the Indian county, according to the bill pending, and this might be amended by adding some of the suggestions made by Senator Platt about the appointment of a commission.

Major Kidd also fell into line with the suggestions coming from the secretary of the interior about the opening to settlement of the Wichita, Kiowa, Commanche and Apache country. Kidd's opinion was that the country should not be opened to settlement for some time to come. Kidd did not believe the Indians were ready to receive the whites and at the same time become citizens of the United States.

The Major also had something to say about the work of the former commission with these tribes and he did not talk in a complimentary way of their labors. Kidd appeared to be of the impression that the commission in some way had taken advantage of the poor Indian and that Quana Parker as chief of the Kiowas did not really know what he was about when he added his name to the agreement.

The Major thought that four-fifths of the Chickasaw nation should be added to the Oklahoma county, which would make Oklahoma right politically, meaning, of course, democratic. The taking away of the Osage county from Oklahoma would reduce boundary of the territory to such an extent that Oklahoma would be too small for a state, but at the same time would improve its political complexion.

Ex-Senator Dawes took a different view in his remarks. Dawes did not make recommendations in a specific way, but said that something should be done. Dawes made a number of statements about the condition of affairs, showing general demoralization in that country. Dawes would not make a recommendation about what should be done, but at the same time thought it would be well for congress at this session to do something.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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