The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-02-23
THE INDIAN

and were only able to give a sy-
nopsis OF what he said touching
the Indian policy of the Govern
ment, intending to elaborate on it
this week. We are saved the trou-
BILE, however, through the follow
ing abstract OF an interview with
the Maj, by the editor of the Rio
Grande Republican
"To u earnest enquiry as to
what, in his opinion, should be the
policy of the government toward
all our Indian wards, the Major
said he believed it would be for the
best interest of the government and
the Indian to subdivide Indian res
ervations into suitable tracts OF
land, and allot them to the In
dams in ~severalty, giving to the
head Of each family a non-transfer-
able deed therefor, and making
every Indian I've the age Of 81
years a legal voter and a citizen Of
the United States that they should
withdraw Indian agents, and let
the laws O. the State or T~erritorvin
which the Indian lives be admins
tered alike to him as to his white
brother; turn all agency buildings
into industrial schools and work
shops, to be maintained at the ex-
pense Of the government for a mum
Der of years, break up a sufficient
quantity of ground for them, fur
nish them with seed and stock cat
tie, if the nature of their land will
warrant it, and thus give them a
fair start in life, saying to them {:
This you shall have and no more"
They will then be comforted with
the question of
"woRK OR sTARvE,"
and will be in a much better posi-
ton to make aliving for themselves
than thousands of their white
brethren in the Eastern States.
The idea that an Indian cannot be
taught the use of the pillow is sim
ply absurd. The Major says he
a take any wild Indian from the
plains, and teach to use the pillow
successfully in a few days. This
he Just demonstrated in the case OF
the Mescalero7. So long as the
government maintains them upon
a reservation, and supplies them
with the necessaries of life, with
out the necessity or the inducement
to work, just so long will they be
lazy and worthless, Suppose, for
example, the 500 warriors at pres
ent living on the Mescalero and
Jicarilla reservations had
II RIGHT t. GO TO THE POLLS
and cast a vote, would they not be
al object OF much solicitude among
aspiring politicians, and their sui
TRACES solicited by those gentlemen
who I seeking office at the hands
of the peoplel Doubtless our del
egates to Congress would send a
fair share of packages of choice
seeds through the mail addressed
to our various citizen Apaches If.
their lands were so fixed that they
could not be taken away from
them, it would be everybody's in
terest to G that they success
tul in their farming and ~stockrals-
ing. Having a voice in the cleo
ton of their governors, they would
like other communities, be treated
with respect and consideration on
account OF their political power.
The Major lamented the ignorance
on Indian affairs of many other
wise well-informed people. Not
later than last July, u
WORTHY AND EsTIMABLE GOVERNOR
proclaimed in a public speech de-
livered at Santa Fe, that the In
dams never had been, and never
would be, selt-supporting, in the face
Of thu fact that the Navajos, but a
e.. - s-- $500 AAI 80