Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-08
TIE MOHAWK CONFERENCE.
Work Among the Indiaus-Au
Interesting Report,

hi8siOu WORK AihOnE lhS ihuiau7-+
Interesting Report.
To ne Editor Of The Register:
SIR:-All Of our citizens who take an
interest in efforts to c~ivilize and christian,
ize tine Indians, will be glad to know
something OF the proceedings of the Lake
Mohawk Conference at its fifth annual
meeting. The history of the Conference is
this. Five years ago Hon. A. K. Smiley
invited o number of persons interested in
the Indian question to meet at Lake Mo-
hawk, at his beautiful Mountain House,
ss his guests, and held a Conference. The
Conference has continued to meet every
year since-a noble instance, surely, OF
Christian hospitality, elevated above a
mere observance Of q social form. Among
the persons who thus meet are Senator
Dawes, with his wife and daughter, Rev.
Dr. LYMAN Abbott and wife, Rev. DR..
Howard Crosby, OF New York, Gen. Gin
ton B. Fiske and wife, Bishop Huntingdon
and wife, of New York, II. .. Houghto!I
and wife, Of Bostan, Miss Alice Longtcl-
low, OF Cambridge, Mass, Hon. Hiram
Price, Ex-COmmissioner of Indian Affairs,
Washington, ID. e, Prof. j. b. Thayer,
Prot. Of Law ut Harvard University, and
many other prominent persons, In oil about
1873 persons. As the Report" OF the Con-
ference, a pamphlet of III pages, each re
plete with interest, may not fall into the
hands Of many, we offer the readers OF the
REGISTER q brief summary of it, with
some extracts-the difficulty being not what
TO take, hut how to leave anything.
Gen. Clinton B. Fisk, on accepting his
nomination, sketched briefly the work OF
the conference for the year preceding. He
said:
During the years past We have debated
of the mcst serious problems in con-
uection with Indian affairs, until the
Mohawk Conference has risen to a place OF
commanding influence. 1t utterances are
seriously cousiderad by legislators; they
receive the thought Of the public, and in
many instances those charged with the ad-
mipistration OF Indian affairs have given
heed to our advice. Our constituency IS q
happy combination of elementS, combining
representatives OF the various religious
bodies who are active in Christian and ed
ucational work among the Indians.
"FrOm the Indian Rights Association,
with their thorough business aims and
methods for the solution Of the IndiSn
problem, from the Women's National As
ISOLATION, who respond to the cry OF the
most needy Of our tribes, and whose devo-
ton to the Indian women to receive the
G~Od-apecd and hearty support OF all who
would upliit the Indian race; from the ln-
dian Committee of Boston, whose magnlh-
cent services for the Indian for the
last ten years entitle them to the gratitude
OF all-people; from the Board OF Indian
Commissioners, aud from the ranks OF the
noble and phiiaathrophic men and women
all over this land, hither come the best and
truest friends Of the Indian; men and wo-
men who love justice, and whose p~erssver-
ing wisdom stands and knocks at the
portals of power until Whatsoever things
are Just are to be conferred upon their
claimants. the american Indians.
Since we last convened We have progress
to repOrt-Suhstantial progress in leg!sla-
ton. The passage of the Dawes bill, pro-
viding for tue allotment of land in several
A--%1 - 49,
ty, and the extension of law over the ln-
diaus, ere the beginning OF a new epoch IN
Indian affairs. The passage OF the Dill
and the election for the third time to the
United States Senate of its author, by all
political parties in the Massachusetts
Legislature, are a cause for great rejoicing
throughout this land. = There
has been progress in industries, in educa-
ton, and in civilization. those OF us
who have been waiting and watching for
more than a score of years, o upon the
existing state of affairs a very encourag-
ing, although there is so much vet TO DO.
There are about 80, 600 Indians
of those in Alaska; $4,000 OF them TO-DAY
wear citizens clothing complete; 6O,OOo
more, il part; 40. 900 Indians read u use
the English language in the transaction Of
their business, aud their numbers rapidly
increasing There is much yet to be &C
compl!shed
The first question discussed by the CON
ference was: What changes IN lnulsn
Governmental Administration are required
by tie Abolition of the Indian ReserTa-
ton System? From the remarks OF Prof..
C. c. Painter on this subject, we make q
few extracts:
THE Dawes Land in Seyeralty and 1n-
dian Citizenship bill, made q law since our
last conference, has given Us what Arcni-
medes wished for, that he might test the
power Of his lever to move the world, ana
we now have a standing place, n opPor-
tunity to test the power OF our elvillzing
influences to unfit the Indian. The law
we have done much TO secure, we should
bear in mind, is not the end we have been
seeking, but only q needed mean to its
attainment; it has only supplied q neces-
sary condition for successful work, the
work still remains to be done. In this
case, as in all others, enlarged opportunity
means also increased dangers, and we who
are responsible for the present condition OF
affairs will be held responsible for their
future outcome. We cannot hold ourselves