St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-07
10. THE POoR INDIAN.

With the success that has crowned
the efforts of the Sioux commission, and
the success that is sure to be achieved
by the Chippewa commission, the tribal
relations of the North American Indians
virtually come to all end. Hereafter
they are to become part of the great
cOSmopolite race of this country, and a
few generations from now the Indian
will only exist in tradition. 1t is slngu-
lar that during the entire century of our
national existence, in which the Indian
problem has been one of the most dis
turbing features of governmental policy,
it never occurred to the rulers and law
makers of the country to adopt
the policy of inducing the Indians
to accept their lands in sever
atty until the CLEVELAND admin
istration came into power. AS soon
as this policy was announced by Mr..
CLEVELAND, the wisdom of it became
so apparent that the entire country ap-
proved it, and the HARRISON admins
tration took up the work just where the
preceding administration left off. 1t is
now being brought to glorious term
nation, and in the future the nation is
to be relieved of an Indian problem.
Still, the government is not entirely
freed from responsibility or dis
charged from its obligations to aid
the indians in adopting themselves
to the new order of things which
is about to be lnaugurated. That
was a very sage remark by JOHN
GRASS to the GLOBE correspond
ent at Standing Rock yesterday, when,
forecasting the future of the Indians,
he said, Everything depends on our
young people," There is the whole
situation in a nutshell. The Indians
can never make any progress toward
civilization as long as the young men
and the young women remain under the
influences OF savage life. 1t is impossi-
BILE to convert the old bucks and the old
squaws to the ideas of white civiliZa-
ton. because it is beyond human power
to reconstruct their natures. But the
young people are more plant material.
They can be educated, and it now be-
comes the duty of the government to
see that they are provided with eduea-
tional facilities. Gov. Fosters idea of
establishing an industrial school at each
agency merits the thoughtful atten-
ton of the authorities at Wash
ington. JOHN GRASS dropped another
suggestion during his talk with the
GLOBE representative, which, while it
may seem to contain an element of In
dian vindietiveness, still possesses big
grain of wisdom. 1t is to the effect that
SITTING BULL and the other constitu-
tional kickers be secluded by them
selves so that their bad influence can no
longer be exerted over the Indians. In
his quaint philosophic way of explaining
things, JOHN GRASS says that sit is bet
ter to send one man away than that the
whole nation should suffer by being
kept back. SITTING BULL has not only
opposed the present treaty, but always
has opposed civilization, and Away will
be nasty man to get along with" We
are inclined to agree with JOHN GRASS
that the Indians should be relieved OF
the bad influence welded by SITTING
BULL and others of his ilk, and, while
we cannot concur in his suggestion that
they be shut up in prison, we do think
it good icy to transplant them to some
locality in the East where they can in
dulge their savage fancies without hurt
! Tn their own naonle