Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-13
On the Making of Good Indians.


The present scheme of taking few boys
and girls away from the camp 10 put
them in schools, where they are taught
English. morals, and trades, has nothing
rtprchensible about II, except that u i aD-
sOlutelv Of no consequence so iaras SOWING
the Indian problem Is concerned. The few
boys return TO the camps with their Eng
lish. their school clothes, and Their short
HAIR. They know trade also, but
have no opportunity 20 be employed
IN il. They loaf about the forts tor
a time with nothing 10 do, and the white
men talk pigeon English to them and
the wild Indians sncer at them. Their VIZ
tues are uuappreciated, and. az a natural
consequence the thousands OF years OF bar
barism which is bred IN Their nature over,
come the three little seasons or school
training. They go to the camp, 90 back TO
the blanket. let their hair grow, and forget
their English. In year one cannot tell
school-bOy from any other little savage and
in the whole proceeding see nothing at all
strange. The camp Will not rise 90 the
school-bOy, and 50 Mohammed goes to the
mountain. II IL comes 10 pass that inc
white race desires to aid these Indians to
become a part Of our social system instead
of slowly crushing them ont of 1t there IS
ONLY one way to do IL. The sO-called IN
dian problem is DO problem at all in reall-
tv. only that il has been made ono by
long succession of acts which were mas
terly in their imbecilIty and wore tostered
by political avarlce. The sentiment OF
this nation Is in favor of no longer regard
inc the abOrigines of this country as con-
quered race. and except that the great
body of our citizens are apatnetlc on
things so remote as these wards OF the
Government, the people who have the al
ninistration of their destinies would be
called 10 account. No one not directly
interested ever questioned that the In
dian Department should have been
attached TO the War Department; but
that is too patent fact TO discuss. Now
the Indian affairs are in 80 hopeless state
of dry rot that practical men IN political
or military circles hesitate TO attempt the
y0le of reformers. The views which have
on the subject are not original, but are
very old and very we'll understood by all
men VINO live in the Indian countries. They
are current among army officers, who nave
speut their whole lives on the Indian from
tier of the far West. but are not often
spoken. because all men realize the lmpo-
tencv of any attempt 70 overcome the ac-
tive work of certain political circles backed
by the public apathy and lot or theoretl-
cal Indian regenerntOrs. II anything IS
done 10 relieve the condition of the
Indian tribes IT must be scheme which
begins at the bottom and takes the whole
outfit" as the western man would say, III
its scope. II these measures of relief are
at all tnrdv before We realize II the Wild
Indian tribes will be- as some writer has
SAID. "lOafers and Outcasts contending
with the dogs for kitchen scraps IN west
ern villages" They have all raised stock
successfully when mot interfered with or
not forced by insufficient Tations to eat
up their stOck-cattle 10 appease their
! hunger. and | have never heard that In
| dams were not made of soldier stun. A
! great many western garrlsOns have their
| corps of Indian scouts. In every case
! they prove efficient. They are naturally
the finest irregular cavalry on the face
of this globe, and with an organiza-
ton similar 10 the Russian COssacks, they
would do the United States great good
and become themselves gradually civilized.
| An irregular cavalry is every year more
and more important branch OF the service.
! ANY good cavalry officer, / believe, could
! takea command of Indians and ride around
the world without having piece Of bacon,
or a cartridge, or a horse issued 10y ms Gov
| eminent. So far "a effective police work
in the West Is concerned the corps of In
dian scouts do nearly all of that service
now. They all like 10 be enlisted into the
service, universally obey orders, and are
never disOyal.