, 1879-07-31

tory, tannery, boot and shoe fac.
tory, and variety Of other useful
things impossible for me here to par
ticularize.
The British government recognizes
Mr.. Duncan's great work, and directs
all its officials in the navy and army,
who may be on the coast of British
Columbia, to render him such aid as
he may need. But there his connec
tion with his government ends. He
has done this work with the volun-
tary aid and contributions of the In
dians, and is by tneir help rendered
independent Of any outside support
to carry on the mission work. There
are no paid officials, no annuities, no
treaties, and no thieving Indian
agents, but the whole is managed
just as any community Of white peo-
pie manage their town affairs.
After Mr.. Duncan left Fort Simp-
son, he was succeeded by Rev. Mr..
Crosby, of the Wesleyan Mission.
What / have written Of Mr.. Dun
can can be said Of Mr.. Crosby. Both
these gentlemen are doing great
and marked good in their respective
missions and the only way in which
the Dominion Government of Cana
da takes care of them is through its
efficient Indian Commissioner, DR..
John w. Powell, Of Victoria, who
annually visits those missions and
all the coast tribes in the Dominion
steamer Sir James Douglas, and who
is ready at all times to cooperate
with Messrs. Duncan and Crosby in
enforcing the laws of the Dominion
relative to Indian affairs.
The coast tribes of British Colum-
bia are quite as savage as those of
Alaska. They all have trade and in
tercourse with each other, and their
manners and customs are identical,
and, as the Alaskan Indians are
desirous Of having schools and teach
ers as the British Columbia Indians
have, it seems to me to point out the
true method by which our govern
srnment can manage those natives.
] am averse to all treaties and res
ervations, with their expensive ma
chnery Of agents and employees paid
by the government, and Of paying
annuities to Indians to encourage
them in idlenoss. That policy has
been the ruling one since the days
of George Washington. We all
have seen the great error and the
little good of that policy, but have
been unable to avert or amend it.
But Alaska is an exception to our
Indian population. Separated from
the States and Territories by British
Columbia, her Indian Tribes have no
affinity with or knowledge of the
working of our treaty system, and
they present q fresh field of opera.
ton.
l respectfully suggest that the
British Columbia plan, which has
proved so eminently successful, be
adoped. | would recommend that
the various religious denominations
send out missionaries, so that every
tribe may be supplied. In order to
do this, commission should be sent
to Alaska to ascertain just where and
how many Of these missions should
be established, and then each mis-
sionary society be invited to select
and send men fitted for the work,
who would go in the same spirit, and
with the same capacity, executive,
ministerial, and financial, that
Messrs. Duncan and Crosby have,
and the whole to be under charge
of one general superintendent, who,
like DR.. Powell, should visit every
mission once or twice each yeor and
report to the government in W Ish'
ington. Such missions should be
aided by the government to enable
them to start in a proper manner,
but there would be no necessity for
any great appropriation, for, as at
Metlakatla and Fort Simpson, the
mission should be self supporting.
From my own knowledge and ex
perience and long observations, |
feel justified in asserting that the
Alaskan Indian are now just in that
state in which they would receive
teachers most cordially, and would
do as much as tho Tsimseams have
done for the missions at Fort Simp.
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