Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-02-25
THE INDIANS

ant of civilization.
-
THE INDIANS.
Few, if any, questions are settled
permanently till they are settleC
right. That the Creator of thi
world is still its ruler is shown by
the constant resurrection of thos,
questions for re-examination whicl
have been disposed of without any
regard to moral principles, anC
which people have thought were
forever at rest, though the rights o
the real parties in interest were
never consulted when their d.sposi.
ton was decided on. Among these
unsettled and ever reappearing
questions is: What shall we do with
the Indians ? OF course the true
answer is: Do right by him. And
this is an easy answer to make, but
when we come to make a practical
application to the fact as they exist,
for one whose desire is to do right,
it is not easy TO determine what is
right, and therefore what ought to
be done how much less then can
we expect a satisfactory answer to
be made by one who aims, not al
what is right but at what is expedi-
ent.
We must remember that there
are many interests besides the In
dams 10 consider. No man has
an absolute title to his posse sions.
The public as well as the individ-
ual has rights, and often the latter
has to give way for the former.
there must be land provided Tor
school houses and public buildings;
rights of way for commerce and
travel must be secured sometimes
the owner is willing TO part with
his property for these purposes and
sometimes he is not; 1t may take
the best building spot on his farm
it may destroy his fine orchard, it
may be the ruination of his farm /;
nevertheless the good of the many
is paramount.
l. is no less true that the public
interests must be consulted in set
tling the Indian question. The
trouble has usually been that the
Indians rights have been disre-
garded when there was no public
necessity for it and his property
has been taken from him without
any adequate compensation being
made therefor. When mans
property is taken from him with
out cause and without compensa-
ton il is no answer 10 say that
this man don't send his children
TO school, or don't take a news
paper or is lazy. All of these
things may tend to make him an
undesirable citizen, nevertheless
his rights must be respected. 1t
would be well 10 remember this in
dealing with the Indian.
If the good of the Indians as a
whole and Of the country at large
requires that the tribal relation
should be broken up, then Mr..
Lo must submit but that is no
reason for stealing his home. If
the best thing for all is TO have
each family assigned a home sufii-
ciently large for all purposes and
the balance of their land opened
for settlement, while ii may not
be TO their individual taste, this
must give way for the general good;
but that would not make it right
to take their land for half what it
is worth. In the settlement Of the
Indian problem we believe it will
be found best 10 dissolve tribes,
assign them land in severalty, open
up the balance of the territory for
settlement, make them amendable
10 the law, give them the protec-
tion of the law, as fast as they are
qualified for ii, confer on them all
the rights Of citizenship, and when
necessary enforce on them as well
as on white children compulsory
education. Whether this or some
other policy is adopted, il should
be carried out on an equitable basis,
with no attempt to favor any indi-
vidual or class and having in view
the general good. If this policy
is persued the Indian problem can
be solved once for all. But the
American conscience will never be
satisfied with a settlement that
shall attempt 10 steal the Indians
land for the purpose of giving il
TO some RDeculatOr or rich cOrDor-
alton, or that shall attempt TO force
the Indian 10 give up the home lac
owns and move off 10 new fields in
order that some favored whites
may have desirable locations for
their sons and descendants. -Oswc-
go Independent.
The writer Of the above reasons
we'll but not correctly. His sense
of justice is lively, but is not gem
'ral, nor can be, in rs application,