Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-01-31
The Indian Race Improving ION Paper.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 20.-The tentl
annual report of the board of Indiar
commissioners when published will shov
that more than one half of all the In
dams have discarded the blanket and
adopted civilized garb. About hall
have changed their wigwams for houses
The number Of the latter has trebled
in ten years. within which time pupils
10 Indian schools have doubled, and the
land cultivated BY the Indians increased
hve-fold. They raised vegetable feed
enough last year to supply ten bushels
to every Indian in the country and pos.
sess on an average one horse or mule,
one COW, one sheep ana one hog to every
Indian.
II the above statement were one.
fifth true in fact, we should favor the
further trial Of the present policy of
the Indian bureau; but every man,
woman and child living in the vicinity
Of reservations knows that not one fifth
part Of the above is true, even Of those
who reside upon reservations under
agents and traders, while the thousands
who have never come to dwell upon the
reservations, not hardly one Of them
has ever donned the garb of civilized
persons or substituted the house tor the
wigwam. Upon what authority do the
Indian commissioners make such re-
por,Y II is to be presumed that their
report is made up from the various re.
ports Of the agents located among the
tribes. Take, for instance, 'sthat more
than one>ha!f Of all the Indians haze
discarded the blanket and adopted
civilized garb." Independent Of all
reports from agents the commissioners
ought to know better from the charac.
ter Of the supplies they annually fur
nish to these agencies that the amount
OF citizens clothing they furnish would
not cover the nakedness of one. tenth
OF the Indians living upon these reser-
vations, and they furnish no citizens
clothes for those who are not upon the
reservations wortay of note, and, If the
truth be told. more than one-half of all
the Indians in the United States are
not habitual dwellers upon those reser.
vations, although many Of them are
counted BY agents and reported as under
agency control. But, again, the ale
cation that "about one half have
changed their wigwams for houses is
grossly false. Go upon the reservations
and We find that not one fifth there oc.
cupy houses or have them. Some have
houses but will not live in them, but
prefer 70 occupy Sick-y ups or wigwams
in the vicinity Of their houses. while off
the reservations they seldom have
houses, except in few cases where
some Catholic or other missionary who
j. in no wise connected with the Indian
bureau has inspired in them prefer.
ence for = civilized mansion. We
notice that Mr., Ballard, Of Yakima,
charges upon Father Wilbur, who is
probably = good an agent as there is
under the auspices Of the Indian bureau,
that he has reported 400 houses built
By Indiana upon tho Yakima reserva.
ton, while, in fact, there are but 70,
and 68 Of these 70 are unoccupied by
Indians q residences. Mr. Ballard
thus charges this upon Mr.. Wilbur in
Az open and public letter, and dc6es
Mr.. Wilbur to successfully contradict
his allegation. IF Mr.. Ballard be cor.
rest il the case Of Mr.. Wilbur aud the
Yakima reservation, we have the best
Of reasons for believing that reports
from his agency made to the commits
sioners would be far less exaggerated
shAn that OF some other agencies. The
bureau sends out inspectors to inspect
The various agencies and report, and
from sone Of these reports we have
seen We would suppose these inspectors
were instructed at Washington to shut
their eyes and ears to all facts but those
that will bolster up the agents in charge
|asd thes ysten they have inaugurated,
and the whole mission Of these inspec.
tors seems to be to manufacture eyi. |
deaes in favor Of that rotten system.
II the Government Of great people
caa be upheld and made respectable by
such system of lying, then that peo-
pie themselves are either awfully COR
fupt or lamentably ignorant, and win