St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-04
The Question Answered by
the President in a Sat-
isfaetory Manner.
Senator Riddle b 3rger Is Again
Sat Down Upon by the
Senate.
Congressional Investigation
Of the Railroad Strikes
in Chicago.
Special to the Globe.

Special TO the GLOBE.
WASHINGTON, April 9.-The follow
ing letter was written by President
Cleveland in response to resolution
adopted at the Philadelphia annual con-
ference of the Methodist church, March
20, 1888. The letter explains itself:
Washington, March 29.-Rev. James
Morrow, ID. D., Philadelphia. My dear
sir: | have received from you certain
resolutions passed at the annual confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal church,
held at Philadelphia Oh the goth inst.
The action taken by this assemblage
of Christian men has greatly sur
prised and disappointed me. They
declare: THAT this conference
earnestly protests against the recent
action of the government in excluding
the use of native languages IN the edu-
cation Of the Indians, and especially the
exclusion of the Dakota Bible among
those tribes where it was formerly used.
That. while admitting that there are adj
yantages in teaching English to the In
dams, to compel them to receive all re-
ligious instruction in that language
would practically hinder their receiving
it in the most effective way. The line OF
power travels with the human heart,
and the heart of the Indian is in his Ian
guage That it is in harmony with the
genius of our country-a free church IN
a free state-that the operations of all
missionary societies should be untram-
meled by state interferences." The
president quotes the rules Of the Indian
bureau upon the subject, and continues:
The government seeks in its manage
ment of the Indians
TO CIVILIZE THEM
and to prepare them for that contact
with the world which necessarily accom-
panies civilization. Manifestly nothing
IS more important to the Indian from
this point of view than knowledge Of
the English language. All the efforts
of those having the matter in charge
tend to the ultimate mixture OF the In
dians with our people, thus making one
community equal in all those rights
which pertain to citizenship. But this
ought not to be done while the Indians
are entirely ignorant of the English
language. 1t seems to me it would be
cruel mockery to send them out into the
world without this shield from impoSi-
ton and without this weapon to force
their way to self support and lndepend-
ence. Nothing can be more consistent,
then, than to insist upon the teaching OF
English in our Indian schools. 1t will
not do to permit these wards of the ma
ton, in their preparation to become their
own masters to indulge in their barbar-
GUS language because it is easier for
them Or because it pleases them. The
action of the conference, therefore, sur
prises me if by it they mean to protest
against such exclusion as is prescribed
in the order, 1t will be observed that
''teXt books in the vernacular" are what
are prohibited, and coral Instruction.
the "entire curriculum" must be in
English. These are the terms used to
define the elements of an ordinary
secular education and do not refer to
religious OF moral teaching. Secular
teaching is the object of the ordinary
government schools, but surely there
CAN BE NO OBJECTION
to reading chapter in the Bible in
English. or in Dakota, if English could
not be understood, at the daily openiA
of those schools, as is donesin very May
other well regulated secular schools.
1t may be, too, that the use Of words in
the vernacular may be sometimes nee
eSSary to aid in communicating knOWl-
edge of the English language, but the
use of the vernacular should not be en-
couraged OF continued beyond the limit
of such necessity; and the text books,
the coral instruction" in a general
sense, and the "curriculum" certainly
should be in English. In missionary
schools moral and religious instruction
may be given in the vernacular as an
auxiliary to English in conveying such
instruction. | cannot believe that the
rules of the Indian bureau were at hand
when the resolutions before me were
adopted. If they were, [ think they
were strangely misunderstood, though
the mild admission that ''these are adj
yantages in teaching English to the In
dams indicates that there
Is A WIDE DIFFERENCE
between those who appear cautiously to
make such an admission, and the many
others interested in Indian improve
ment who deem such teaching the para
mount object of immediate effort. The
rules referred to have been modified
and changed in their phraseology to
meet the views of good men who seek to
aid the government in its benevolent
intention, until it was supposed their
meaning was quite plain and their pur-
pose satisfactory. There need be no
fear that in their execution they will at
all interfere with the plans Of those who
Sensibly desire the improvement and
welfare of the Indians. At any rate,
until 1t is demonstrated that these rules
operate as impedimentS to Indian adj
vancement they will be adhered to,
while the government will continue to
invoke the assistance of all Christian
people and organizations in this very i'm
portant and interesting part Of the labor
entrusted to it. Yours very truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.