The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-02-07


In their Legislative halls A group ~
six or eight full-bloods aud half-breeds
loungcd about the door of the Capitol,
and regarded Us snspiciously as we
alighted from our conveyance. II was
the noon recess Of the Legislative bodies.
and 70 occupy the time before the re-
assembling we went upstairs and paid
our respects 10 the Governor. The
executive chamber contained two beds,
each occupied BY member Of the Legis-
lature taking nap with his boots aud
hat on, pine table and rough desk, and
two or three broken chairs. At the desk
in the corner sat very common looking
person, yellow-haired, and by no means
comely. with his hat on-and ii was q
sorry one-and the appearance generally
Of tramp, struggling with manifest
efforts with pen. II was Gov. Garyin,
and he was the kind Of Governor one
might expect to see in such Capitol.
had read his message before seeing
him. In that document he had urged
opposition 10 the measures before Con-
gress for organizing the Territory, for
the reason that ssthe extension of the
white mans laws over our people and
the settlement Of the whites among US
wonld lead 10 our destruction" | had
noticed in il also this fine passage:
ave can not forget that scarcely a cen
fury has elapsed since our ancestors were
blanket sayages, that war and the chase
were their only occupation. Yet. thanks TO
an all-wise and omnipotenr God, the blank
et has been replaced by decent apparel; the
tomahawk has been exchanged for the use
full AK: the scalping knife for the pl0w-
share, and the dismal tone OF the warriors
whoop has been melowed into the sacred
song OF Zion And now we a.e engaged in
all the employmenfs incident TO civilization,
learning war no more. Peace, with inesti-
mable blessings, i ever preferable 70 war
with its terrible consequences. Education
has been the chief means that has brought
about this happy result. Therefore we
should continue TO educate, and we may
possibly, In the providence of God, and in
His own good time, reach plane Of ciyiliza-
tion and enlightenment Of which we have
SCARCELY dreamed In our most feryenf imagi-
nations"
This had such genuine full-blood
sound that even Gov. Garvin's name
had not prepared me 10 find In the au-
thor of these references 10 an ancestry
Of blanket sayages so unmistakabIe an
Irishman. He traces his lineage on the
maternal side to the tomahawk and
scalping- knife connection. His father
was q full-blooded Irishman. No one
would suspect Garvin in the first place
Of being Governor, and certainly no
one would ever dream of bis being VIC
tim of the white mans rapacity, and
liable to be ruined by having the white
mans laws extended over him. re-
greet to say that Gov. Garyin failed to
show any evidence in his own person Of
the education which he commends.
He could not tell us the number of
members in the House or Senate Of his
Legislature without inquiring Of men,
Der sitting near; he did not know the
basis Of representation, or why there
were more members in the Lower than
in the Upper House, and he was unable
10 translate paragraph in the Choc-
taw language from the local papers.
do not remember the precise num-
Der Of members in each legislative body,
though think there were II in the Low
er and Il in the Upper House. Each
house was presided over BY half-breed,
the President of the Senate being in his
shirt-sleeves, with his trousers tucked
into his boots. The Lower House sat
in silence, apparently embarrassed BY
the presence Of visitors for some time
after assembling and adjourned without
transacting any business. The Senate
listened to the reading OF some bills in
ChOctaw while we were present, but that
body also seemed too much embarrassed
BY the presence Of strangers to do any
business, and after remaining few
t444 III -
result Of 80 years effort TO civilize the
Indian by keeping him on reservations.
separating him from contact with white
men and preserving the tribal organiza-
ton. II did not strike me Is success.
We met one full-blooded Chocfaw who
was graduated at Union College, and
now has two sons in that institution.
There are other educated men in the
tribe, as was told, but 90 far a. could
see, and from all could learn, their in
huence IL not great, not nearly SO great
as that Of the ignorant half-breeis. who
manage politics and hold the ofiices,a and
their education i Of little advantage to
them or their people. Under the mis-
taken policy Of the Government the In
dians Of these tribes have been brought
up 70 believe that they have been abus-
ed, plundered and robbed BY the white
men, and that the Government i doing
them but scanty justice, and treating
them in mean and niggardly manner
in giving them the most fertile and pro-
ductive lands on the continent, and
placing them beyond the reach Of want
or the CAL Of the tax-gatherer. Their
national Jealousy and suspicion OF the
white man have been artfully fostcred
by the demagogues among them, whose
interest il is 70 continue the tribal or
ganization and the holding Of lands in
common, until they have come 10 look