The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1884-12-27
An American ristocrat.

An American .rist0crat.
From an article by Eugene V. Sma!
ley, on "The Kalispel Country" in tn,
January Century, we quote the follow
ing: "There is a mistaken notio1
among philantropic people in the east
that the Indian is a much abused person
who is entitled to the lively sympathy
OF mankind. Unquestionably there
have been plenty of instances Of
broken treaties and individual and tri
bal wrongs; but, looking at the matter
not from the historical but from actua
point of view, it must be admitted that
the aborigine on reservation has more
rights and privileges than a white man
enjoys. '.If could have the privileges
on this reservation which the, Indian
has" said Major Roman, the Indian
agent, as we were driving through the
lovely Mission Valley, Il would resign
my office at once, settle down on one OF
these streams, build house, fence in
all the land l wanted, and get me a big
herd Of cattle The Indian or the half.
breed, explained the agent, can inclose
as much land as he pleases and use as
much more as he wants for a stock
range. He pays no taxes, and rides
free on the railroad. IT his tools get
out of repair, or his horses need shoeing,
the Government employs blacksmith
to work for him. He takes his wheat
to the agency flour-mill, where it is
ground by the Government, and his logs
to the agency saw-mill, to be made into
lumber Of the dimensions he wishes.
If he is sick, the Government supplies
him with medicines and doctor. The
missionaries educte his children in a
boarding-school, and furnish him with
the comforts of religion without
charge. If too idle to work, he knows
that the Government will in no event
let him starve. If he tries, he can be-
come a rich man by the mere increase
of his cattle and horses. Now, how
does it stand with the white citizen Z?
Instead of thousands of acres, he can
get from the Government only one hund-
red and sixty, and on them he must
pay taxes and rustic for living as the
Western phrase goes. The Indian is
our American aristocrat. He owns the
whole landscape; he tolls not, save in a
titful way as it suits his pleasure, and
he spends his time in hunting, fishing,
horse-racing, gambling, and loahng.
1t will be argued, ! know, that the In
dians once owned the whole country,
and that their reservations and the
privileges they have upon them are
after all but small compensation for
what they have lost. This, again, is a
mistake. No people own a country be-
cause they roam over it before others
come to share its occupancy, IT a few
hundred white men should chance to
be the first inhabitants of a territory
large enough for great State, who
would say that they ownel ali the land
BY reason of that circumstance?
Another Robinson Crusoe.
Ezra w. Forman, aged about sixty,
who registers at New York hotel as
rom Nomora, Pleiades group, Pacific
ocean, and makes deposition that in
47 the whaler Qcmulgee, Of Wareham,
aden with oil and whalebone, went
'shore at Nomora, and al hands were
drowned except himself and two others.
Through one Of these who understood
Hawaiian they We're able to colnmuni-
ate with the natives of the Island, and
explaining the uses that might be made
# the store ship and its contents, were
zindly received and given houses, lands
md wives. There wasn't anything else
o do but make the best of the situation,
which they did by teaching the natives
ONE Of the ruder arts and acquiring |
much influence over. them. Finally
'0rman's two companions died, and he
'ecame the ruler of the. tribe; and, from
lis statement of his offspring {twenty-l
line childrea and sixty-nine grandchild-
en-, the progenitor Of large part Of it.)
finally sandal wood trader touched at
Iomora. and after swearing by their
,ods that he would return, he was al
owed to depart, and found his wayt
ack via Sidney. He reports that the
vhalebone is still in prime condition,
nd as there is $4,000 to $175;OOO
7orth of it some Philadelphians are
aid to have actually advanced him
honey end fitted out vessel to 60 after
!. P. S.-There is every reason to be-
eve that Jules Verne, Eli Perkins and
lulhatton have found worthy. rival
last.
The Miner says the English artist, whom
7. A. Clark, Esq, and his partners in the !
hoshone Falls had employed to paint a
x15 feet picture Of the same, after spend:
y some months work on the picture at
le Falls and in Omaha, became insane,
ID in his madness ruined the picture. 1t
as tn have graced the Montana pavilion
New Orleans, and its destruction is
realty regretted. The artist is now in An
sane ssy!um.