The Cherokee Advocate

January 23, 1889-The Cherokee Advocate-Wichita, Kan., Jan 16-"Pawnee Bill" has returned from Southern Kansas where he had been inspecting colonies and endeavoring to find the feeling regarding his intended invasion. He said, "I feel more encouraged than ever before and I am certain that I will not lack for support. The farmers of southern Kansas are all anxious for the invasion to move. There are over 2,500 people in the Chickasaw Nation now only waiting for a leader. I have letters from Arkansas and Texas telling me that the colonies there are growing each day. Outside of Arkansas City lives a body of men with wagons and teams ready to move. Here, too, is a letter from Payne's old secretary, Hunty at Emporia, telling me he has quite a colony there anxious to join us. My mail is increasing each day. There appears no lagging of interest. I find, too, that there are a large number of persons who will join no colony, but are only waiting to go with the crowd. We will have 10,000 men ready to move and I don't see how the 1,500 soldiers-the largest body that can be gotten together, will be able to stop us. There is now no longer any question about it the men are ready to move. We will go on February 1 and we will take Oklahoma Congress or no Congress.

There is no record at the War Department of any recent order in relation to the expansion of settlers from Oklahoma. Adjutant General Drum says that he has not issued any order, notwithstanding the press dispatch stating that eight families had been driven out by orders direct from General Drum. At the War Department it is stated that the old order for keeping out boomers is still in force and the presumption is that the recent exodus was based upon that; at least the department has not supplemented its former action-Ex.

"Pawnee Bill" and followers expect to make a good haul by invading the Indian Territory and holding by right of conquest land over which the United States government claims, and has exercised the right of eminent domain." It is an assault then upon the United States as well as the Indian governments that is contemplated by these modern Goths. We say to them what a Federal newspaperman said at the beginning of the war to a Southern Journal, which predicted that the Confederacy would make a good haul by invading the north.

"Yes; you will haul in your horns and haul down your flag!"

These" boomers" show that they know what they are about when they defy Congress and the Executive Department of the Government. They know that the country they propose to invade and conquer, once belonged to the United States that the United States old it to the Indian tribes of the Territory, and gave the tribes Patents for it-that the United States retains, and now exercises, the right of eminent domain over it and, that it is an assault upon the United States Government as well as upon the Indian governments, that they now threaten.