Western Chief from Atchison, Kansas • 6

THE PLEA OF A DYING RACE Sixty-five years ago in Walla Walla five thousand Indians gathered. Two thousand of the warriors sat in council with Gov. Isaac I. Stevens. During the twenty-five days thai rniinril Tnrhnn hiatnrv was tnanfl.

THE WESTERN CHIEF Issued the 15th of every month by, THE IMPROVED ORDER OF RED MEN OP KANSAS PAUL TONSING, Editor and Printer 500 Commeiial Street Atchison, Kansas Entered as second-class matter September 19, 1905, at the postoffice at Atchison, Kansas, under Act of Congress of-March 3, 1879. Subscription Price, 25c Per Year. Correspondence Solicited The resultwas the treaty of 1855. A dozen Indians, representing the descendants, of the glory and barbaric beauty ofi those Indians sixty-five years ago, appeared before the Washington house and senate judiciary committees recently, to plead for their ancient rights and to urge th passage of senate bill No. 52, which provides fishing privileges for the Indians at Prfesser Falls.

"A disappearing race that slowly and sad- iy uiuuuiJ iiie uiatciui nn is auu scca ita doom Tn the setting sun," was a charac-' terization made by a famous writer in Indian lore. The few chiefs left to uphold the glory of their tribes, however, have lost none of the haughty grandeur, none of the seriousness and earnestness, when it comes to the protection of their ancient SAVE THE MOST HISTORICAL LAND-' MARK IN KANSAS" "Two of three buildings that remain at the old historical Shawnee Mission were built in 1839, by the Methodist Church, the other remaining building was built in 1854, there being originally thirteen buildings in all that comprised this mission. The brick of the buildings was all made on the ground, and the lumber, including the window sash-es and doors, was cut from the timber on Brush-Creek nearby, all made by.hancU. This mission was known as the Indian Manual Labor School where trades besides the regular studies were taught to the Indian boys and girls. From 1839 to 1854 the United States government paid one-Vioif r4 tho PYnpTiRp.s of this school beine: prerogatives.

None of the war paint, peace pipes, feathers and gay headdress and native garb was missingMn the picturesque setting that was flashed before the hundreds of spectators at the legistlature. The legislative committees informed the Indians they would give them every consideration and it is freely said they will give them the fishing rights they seek. 1855 the first legislature of Kansas, which met at Pawnee, adjourned to this building and held its' first session there through- -out the summer. This legislature enacted the first" laws of the territory, -somepf which are now in use in Kansas. It was here at Shawnee Mission that the legislature named Lecompton as the capital of Kansas.

No historical landmark now remains standing in Kansas that more impressivefy associates itself with the early history of our great. state and with the powerful and interesting Indian tribes that roamed over the Missouri Valley. Nearly one-fourth of a century has elapsed since the great deeds of valor and sacrifice in establishing this forepost of civilization, which, makes possible the opportunities that are jpffered to the people living in Kansas today. The buildings interesting in style and architecture, located in a little valley, sur- rounded by trees more than one hundred years old, and also to the north' of the buildings stand large, massive clumps of evergreens. Fortunately the three buildings are builflfccloso together and could be contained within an area of 12 or 15 acresy which would give ample ground surrounding the -buildings.

Paved streets extend from Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, to the Yet it is regrettable that one of the buildings Is occupied by a dairy, one by a road housed and the other is the home of a vegetable gardener. Various Kjansas societies could occupy some of these rooms and establish permanent exhibition of Indian handiwork, articles of'warfarSY and the like, that were used along the border line during the opening scenes of the Civil War. Organizations are interested in these buildings particularly on account of the great educational value to the children of this generation and of other yet to come in visualizing the early scenes of the life of The state of Kansas has reached a point where it can no longer afford to neglect such historical and interesting buildings. Were they situated in Europe or New England they would have been long ago tenderly preserved and guarded for the common good of the people and for the noble purpose which they served, and would have been widely pictured and featured as the most interesting relic of pioneer days. Fortunately the'mission is located only me-half mile from a good trolley line and within a few minutes' ridp from Kansas City, Kansas, and can therefore be reached more conveniently by a large per cent of the population of Kansas than any other location in Kansas.

KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, By Wm, E. Connelley, Sec. The legislature is now favorably consid-ering-the purchase of this site and will like-make an "appropriation for the same before this reaches our readers. UUAl VV wjjv--" by the Rev. Thomas Johnson, who came to Kansas in-1829 and for whom Johnson County was There were children from about ten -erit Indian tribes attending this school at different times, some coming from far nc the Tfnrlrv Mountain, the different tribes" being represented were the Sioux, Shawnee, Arapahoe" Cheyennes, Sack and Fox, Delawares, pottawatomies and Wyandottes, A big bell made in Cincinnattand shipped by steamboat to Old Westport Landing, hauled to Shawnee Mission by ox teams, was hung in one of the buildings for the 7- INDIAN CITIZENSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES There were 79,355 Indian citizens of the United States in 1919 who were not members of the five civilized tribes of Okla-noma.

On March 3, 1901, congress amended the allotment act by inserting after the phrase "and has adopted the habits of civilized life" the words "and every Indian in the Indian territory. Under this amendment 101,000 Indians of the five 'tribes who received allotments are now living and their children are now citizens of the United States. Total number of 'Indian citizens, 186,355. As far back as 1817 provision was made in a treaty with the Cherokees by which any member of the tribe who desired might become a citizen of the United States. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the fourteenth Amendment to.

the constitution did not confer upon the Indian, by severing his tribal relations, the right to become a citizen. No general law provided a means for citizenship of all Indians until 1887 when Congress passed the general allotment act, which provided for the allotment of lands in severalty and declared all Indians born within its limits who shall have complied with certain conditions, to be citizens of the United States. The broad citizenship provisions of this act were-modified by Congress when on May 8, 1906, it passed the Burke act. Since the enactment of this law the issuance of a fee simple patent has been the primary legal requirement for. citizenship of Indiana.

use of the Indian scnooi. mis pen wbb also used as an alarm in case of -prairie fires and later as a call to arms in the time of the Civil War. The site of this famous old mission is along the route of the Santa Fe Trail The buildings were used as barracks by quarter of a century all visitors to West-port were driven to Shawnee Mission as the most interesting spot in the Missouri -Valley. In 1854 Governor Reeder, the first Governor of Kansas, used the building that remains standing on the north side of the old Overland Road for housing the Attorney Chief Justice, Secretary of State, and other officials of the Territory. This building was used by the state for headquarters for a period, of two years.

In.