Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-05
FRIENDS OF THE INDIANS.
CLOSE OF THEIR ANNUAL CONFER
.ENCE AT LAKE MOHONk.
The Resolutions Passed wake Many
Wholesome Suggestions AS to How
the Red Man Should be Treat
ed by the Government.


the Indians. DR.. Lyman Abbott, from
the committee on resolutions, reported a
platform which, after verbal amendments,
was adopted. The resolutions declare the
Indian is not foreigner, but is a member
of this nation, and as such must be amena-
BILE to its laws, and is entitled to the privi-
leges and prerogatives of citizenship, in
Guiding the right to protection in the
ownership of property, liberty in his in
dustry and freedom of the open market
for his productions. 1t remains for the
nation to protect him in them by some
adequate system of courts vested with
authority by the federal government, and
easily accessible to the poorest. During
the present transition period the Indian
cannot with safety or justice be given
over to the protection of the State or To-
cal courts, nor left to the petty police
tribunal, organized by or dependent on
the will of the Indian agent The confer
ence gives hearty approval to these essen
tial principles of organized justice, and
urges upon the favorable consideration of
Congress the bill prepared by the law
committee of this conference, and now
pending in the Senate, or some other bill
embodying those principles.
Second-Neither land in severaty nor the
law administered by competent courts
will suffice for the protection of the In
dian. More fundamental than either is
his education. The present bill organized
unsystematic educational methods
of the government, an imperfec-
ton which n, cessitated the labors
of voluntary and philanthropic So
Ceties should give place to all we'll organ
lied system of popular education formed
in accordance with the principles OF
our American institutions, and adequate
to provide the entire Indian race with
competent education. 1t is a duty of the
federal government to undertake at once
the entire task of furnishing primary and
secular education for all Indian children
ON the reservations under federal control.
AS it has no right to thrust thus burden
on the pioneer population in the midst of
which the Indians happen to be located,
it has no right to leave this burden to be
carried by the churches and private phil
anthrOpic societies which have taken it up
only because the necessity was 50 great,
and the neglect absolute. The cost OF
education Is Immensely less than the cost
OF war. The expense of educating the
Indians for self support IS less than Que
tenth the cost OF keep NJ him i'll pauper-
ism.
We cali upon the department Of the in
terror to inaugurAte at once a thorough
and comprehensive system for aifOrdlng
at the national expense on the principles
analogous to those which experience has
an education TO all Indian children in its
ward and care in all the elements of edu
cation essential to civilized life ana good
citizenship, the use OF the English IAN
guage, the common industrial arts and
sciences, the habits and proprieties of do
mestic lite and the ethical laws Inch I'M
derlie American Utilization. We call
upon Congress to provide by wholly
adequate appropriations the neces-
sary funds for such system,
for the buildings, teachers, inspectors,
superintendent and i'll the name of the
Christian and philanthropic people of the
United States and the people OF the West
ern States and Territories, who demand
that the danger and burden of foreign
and pauper population shall no longer be
thrown upon them. We extend cordial
cooperation in SUCH effort to remove the
national dlshonor of supporting Ignorant
barbaric people in the heart of Christian
civilization with only feeble and wholly
inadequate endeayOrs to bring them into
harmony with a free Christian clvlliza
ton.
Third. This education should be COM
pulsory. The Indian child should be re-
quired to receive such education as will
lit hlmfOr civilized life and for self-suppOrt,
but his parents should be left at absolute
liberty to choose between the government
and private school so long as the private
school furnishes the elements required lol
standard prescribed by the government
and maintained by its own schools. A
uniform standard OF qualifi cations should
be required of all teachers receiving APP
pointments and should be enforced lbs
rigid and impartial examinations. The
tenure of the teachers offices should be
permanent, and removals should be made
only tov lncfliciencY, incOmpetency or
other untltuess, and the entire Indian
educational service from the superlntend-
ent of schools to the primary teacher should
it the iuterst of honest administration
and efficient work, be exempt from
those charges, and that instability of zen
ure which appertains to poll zeal party
appointments. In view of he great work
which Christian charities have done IN the
past in inaugurating and maintaining
schools among the Indians, and OF the IS.
sential Importance of religions rs dlsUn-
gulshed from secular education, for their
civil political and moral Weli-Oelng, an
element OF education, which III the nature
of the case the national government can
not give, the churches should be allowed
the largest liberty, not indeed to take
away the responsibility from the govern
ment in its Legitimate sphere of educa-
tonal work, but to supplement 1t to the
fullest extent IN their power by such
schools whether primary, normal or
theological as are at the sole cost of the
benevolent or missionary societies, and 1t
is the deliberate Judgment of the confer
ence that in the crisis OF Indian transition
al movement the churches should
arouse themselves to the magnitude of the
emergencies OF the duty thus laid upon
them in the providence of God.
a resolution suggested by Gen, Arm
strong was adopted urging the Indian
bureau to permit the Indians deslrJus
to do so to receive farming utensils and
other tools in place OF the customary al
lowance ratiOns.
Following is the executive committee
of the conference for the ensuing year
Albert X. smiley of New YorK, Mrs. \
: QuiuLou Of Philadelphla, Rev. DR. w
II. Ward and Mrs. a. H. Coolidge OF
Boston, Rev DR., EilngWood OF New York
Miss Anna l.. Dawes OF Washington, II
O. HOugnton Of Boston, Rev, ID. Lyman
Abbott The evening was devoted &C
the concluding exercises.