St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-14
CIVILIZING THE SAVAGES.
How Oberly Would Bring the Red
Man in Line.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-John IL.
Oberly, commissioner Of Indian affairs,
has submitted to the secretary OF the
interior the report of the operations OF
his bureau for the year ended June so,
1898. Among other things he says: III
have no doubt that under the favorable
conditions of an Indian service in which
the evils of what is known as the party
spoils system of appointment and dis
missal would be minimlZed, and in
which intelligent and Jealous action
might confidently anticipate the sup
port of the government; in which,
too, devotion and efficiency might
labor assured of the applause
of the people, and honest adj
ministration be its perfect work
promptly on all occasions, without re-
buke or fear Of persecution, the Indian
question. in all its perpleXing features,
might be transmitted from a demoraliZ
ingpoitical question into not danger
Gus social question. Indeed, it may be
declared, without the use of qualifying
phrases, that under the favorable con-
ditions suggested the Indian would re-
scelye our civilization with all that it
implies of social duty and of public Oh
LEGATION This is said in full knowledge
of the many futile efforts that have been
made by Jealous,
l. ABLE MEN AND WOMEN,
by the churches and by the government
to lead the Indian out of barbarism.
The. Indian has indeed begun to change
with the changing times. He is COM
mencing to appreciate the fact that
he must become ciVilized-must. as
he expresses it. learn the white
mans way or perish from the
face of the earth. Ge should be taught
how to work, and all the schools that
are opened for his children should be
schools in which they will be instructed
in the use of agricultural implements,
the carpenters saw and plane, the
stonemason's trowel, the tailOr's needle
and the shoemaker's awl. And the In
dian should he taught not only how to
work, but also that it is his duty to
work; for the degrading communism of
the tribal reservation system gives to
the individual no incentive to labor,
and puts premium upon idlenesS and
makes it fashionable. Under this syS-
tenn the LATEST man owns as much as
the most industrious man, and neither
can say of all the acres occupied by the
tribe, ''This is mine" The Indian
must, therefore, be taught how to labor,
and that labor may be made nee essary
to
HIS WE'LL BEING,
he must be taken out of the reservation
through the door of the general allot-
ment act. And he must be imbued with
the exalting egotism of American civili-
cation, so that he will say II instead of
we and this is mine instead of this
is ours But if he will not learn? if he
shall continue to persist in saying, Il am
content: let me alone? Then the guard
ian must act for the ward, and do for
him the good service he protests shall
not be doue-the good service that he
denounces as bad service. The gov
eminent must then, in duty to the pub
lie, compel the Indian to come out of his
isolation into the civilized way that he
does not desire to enter-lnto citizen
ship-into assimilation with the masses
of the republic-into the path of national
duty; and in passing along that path he
will find not only pleasure in personal
independence and delight in individual
effort in his own interest, but also the con-
summation of that patriotic enjoyment
which is always to be found in the eXer-
else of the high privilege of contribut-
ing to the general welfare"