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Show 172 KEPORT OP THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. Wo have heard that bills to organize a territorial government for onr country are being pressed upon Congress, and it alarms onr people. If they are passed and become a law, it. will let into our country a large class of bad white men with whom our peo-ple, under the present laws, cannot cope. Under the treaty of 1832, their land was divided up into severalty for heads of families. As the Creeks were many of them not sufficiently advanced to retain possession of this land, white men would swindle them out of their land. It would be like placing an uneducated boy in college to place these people in the midst of crafty, designing, and educated white men, with all the law on their side. His people would regard such a territorial government as a great judg-ment sent to afflict his people. When a child is about to be hurt he runs to his father or mother. 80 with his people; they fear trouble, so they send him and his colleagues to see the Great Father. We have great conh'dence in the several religions societies whose officers are present, because they have been our firm friends in times past, and they have confidence in the President when he selects such men as he now s - es present to council with him in his care for the Indians. I believe it was God who put it into the heart of the President to select such men, as I understand from the book of God he sometimes selects special instruments for his own great purposes. Governor PYTCHLYN, late chief of the Choctaws. I am unwell, but glad to speak a few words in regard to missions. There are two subjects before us, the religions and the political ; the first we love, the second we dread Mr. Kingsbury, our first mission-ary, came with the Bible, and said it was the word of life. The Choctaws received him with open arms. He established manual- labor schools. We were in onr original Indianism. We organized temperance societies, and had a liquor law. The first liquor law of our country was established among the Choctaws by themselves. We had then a code of written laws, in 1826. In 1828 we had a great revival, amidst great rejoicing. Old warriors, fighting men, joined the church. In 18^ 9 the State of Mississippi passed a law forbidding any Indian to exercise his functions as an officer of the Government. Cruelty ami oppression from the whites came upon them in the days of Jackson. Our people wanted to fight. There were no commissioners then. The Secretary of War, General Eaton, came down there. Whisky was poured out by barrels, to corrupt our people. They forced us out of our homes. We went to our new homes in the Indian Territory, not to hunt buffalo, but to build churches, schools, & c. The missionaries went with us; we loved them. We prospered- had cattle, sheep, and corn- fields. Then the war came, and down we went. The missionary boards deserted us, and dark-ness surrounded us; butuow we are reviving again. I was there last summer. 1 heard the same old Gospel, again. One native Choctaw mail, a blacksmith, preached the Gospel and had h've hundred converts. He worked at his trade in the day, and preached in the evening; sometimes he preached day and night. He got no pay for preaching. The Bible has saved us with its precious Gospel. It is the politicians who ruin us. I shall always remember with gratitude the " American Board" and the " Presbyterian Board ;" they saved me. Rev. S. B. Treat said the first law passed by tho Choctaw nation, after it crossed the Mississippi, was a liquor law similar to that which the State of Maine afterwards re-ceived so much credit for. At the earnest invitation of the chairman, the Hon. Columbus Delano, Secretary of the Interior, occupied the undivided attention of the conference in a careful and deeply interesting statement of his views 14) 011 the present condition of Indian affairs. As there was no reporter present to give a phonographic report of the a; I dress, the brief taken by the secretary of the board is withheld from publication at the request of Mr. Delano. The conference then adjourned to 10 o'clock to- morrow morning. MORNING SESSION. JANUARY 12, 1872. Commissioner Brunot in the chair: Mr. BKUNOT. We shall be glad to hear from Mr. King, of the society of Orthodox Friends. Mr. KING. The branch of the society which we represent has various committees ap-pointed to take charge of this missionary work among the Indians. One of them has charge of all legislation that is desired in the prosecution abd advancement of our work. We have also a committee on finance, and one to take into consideration the applications of teachers, mechanics, and farmers. It being impossible for all the mem-bt- rs of the executive committee, that is charged especially with the work among the Indians, to visit the various agencies under onr control, and report as to their con-dition and progress, one of the members was delegated to perform 1hat duty. He spends part of his time in Washington, and part of it in the Indian Territory. Dr. Nicholson, the member designated, who is with ns here, has been very careful to study tip everything relating to Indian legislation, laws, treaties, and everything connected with the interests of the Indians. It is proposed to establish a yearly meeting within |