The office held by Mr. Wright now being consolidated with that of Mr. Kelsey, he acts as Supervisor. I wrote him a long letter concerning the Oklahoma situation, and a portion of his reply should be included in this book:—
“So far as the consolidation of the two offices is concerned, I rather feel that you were unduly anxious over its effect. I have had the responsibility of the entire work now for nearly two months, and am more than ever convinced that the time was ripe for it and it was good administration to have it all under one head, provided that head is the right sort of a man, and that there will be no ill effects therefrom. It was bound to come, and had better come while there was somebody here who knew how to do it than later. I am having such fun getting it working smoothly that it will soon be only an incident. I am happy to say that the good work to protect the Indians goes on I think better now than ever. We are getting excellent results from the new probate attorney organization, in cooperation with our former field force (which is still intact), and not only preventing new abuses, but, as time permits, delving into and correcting many old and rotten ones affecting minors, and I think the cooperation of the probate courts—especially since the earnest entrance into the thing by the Commissioner personally—is a hundred per cent better than it was before, all of which I helped plan, and with which I feel I have had much to do.
“Muskogee, Oct. 23rd, 1914.”
All of the above is very encouraging, and I hope the consolidation and the probate attorneys will work together for the result we all desire.
It would not be proper to close the Oklahoma affair without saying a few words concerning Mr. Mott and Captain Grayson.
Captain George W. Grayson has served as official Creek interpreter for many years. He understands the history of his tribe, is entirely in sympathy with their aims, and has done much to aid the various tribal attorneys in Oklahoma. With a fine Indian, Moty Tiger, Chief of the Creek Nation, he has frequently visited Washington. I asked Captain Grayson to read the manuscript of my Oklahoma section prior to publication, and am indebted to him for valuable suggestions and information. Captain Grayson as interpreter has been made use of by the Smithsonian Institution men in their investigations of Creek language, mythology and family life. There is no more able interpreter in all the State of Oklahoma.
Mr. M. L. Mott has been referred to in previous pages of this chapter. In closing, I would call attention to a remarkable scene which occurred in the office of the Secretary of the Interior in February, 1914. The Oklahoma delegation in Congress from the state of Oklahoma, had opposed the reappointment of Mott as attorney for the Creek Indians. As we have seen in previous pages, Mott put up a heroic fight on behalf of his clients, thereby incurring the ill will of many persons. Each afternoon for five days, were arrayed against him all the Congressmen from Oklahoma. At the conclusion of these lengthy sessions, in which the opponents were unable to prove anything of consequence against Mr. Mott, the Secretary of the Interior issued him the following letter:
The Secretary of the Interior