St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-11
10. THE POOR INDIAN,

PAUL said to the Corinthians, II
seek not yours, but you" UnfOrtu-
nately, 1t has not been in this spirit tina
this Christian nation has dealt with the
Indians. Even the recent legislation
enacted by congress, which we have
commended for its wisdom and liberal
ity, has possibly left the Indian in as
bad fix as he was before he agreed to
take lands in severalty. lie is now land
poor. He has his acres allotted to him
by the government without the ability
to turn them to profit, and the holding
Of which perpetuates conditions de-
structive of all efforts to civiliZe him.
In all the negotiations between the
government and the Indians under the
6everalty law, the Indians have been at
disadvantage in being unaequainted
with the value Of land and ignorant of
what kinds of land were best suited
for farming purposes. Those who repre-
scented the government were more con-
cerned about the Indians property than
about his elevation in character and in
telligence; and thus it has came to pass
that all of the treaties that have been
negotiated have really left the Indian
in worse condition than when he en-
joyed the tribal relations, and was guar
anteed the right to roam over vast do
main. The situation may be briefly eX-
planned by quoting Chief GABRIEL
RENVILLE. AT conference bel d
with the Sissetons last fall, after
asking if it were true that by the oper-
alton of the severaltY law they are now
citizens of the United States, Chief
RENVILLE put the pregnant and far
reaching question, "NNhat is the relation
Of an Indian agent to citizen of the
United States and to his property"
There is the whole difficulty in nut
shell. If the Indians are citizens, then
the Indian bureau should be abolished
and the Indian agents all discharged.
The trouble is that the Indian has
received title to his property but
is hampered by restrictions which
render him powerleSs to use it. One
great inducement TO the Indians to
surrender their tribal existence was to
get rid of bureau interference. The In
dams have been deceived in this re-
spect. For Illustration, an Indian to
whom land had been allotted came into
market town near his home, and, no
ticing that white farmers were market
ing cOrdWood, he thought he saw an
opportunity to get some money to sup
ply his immediate necessities; so he
went back home and cut cord of wood
from his land and hauled it to the town.
But when he got there the agent re-
fused to let him sell it,and told him that
he was not allowed to remove any tim
Der from his land. The case was APP
pealed to the department at Washing
ton and referred to the attorney general
for an opinion. After examining the
seVeralty law and the treaty nego-
tiated under it that officer decided
that, inasmuch as the United States held
his land in trust for twenty-five years
the Indian had only the rights of ten
ant, and is restrained from using any
of the timber, whether alive, or dead
and down, excepting so much as is re-
quired for fencing, building and do
mestic use. Notwithstanding the In
dian had parted with his reservation.
had surrendered his tribal existence,
and had accepted his allotment in sew
crafty under the impression that he was
to be a free American citizen, he found
himself simply reduced to condition Of
serfdom. 1t is an outrage that it should
be so, and congress should at once pro-
coed to invest the Indians who have
complied with the seyeralty law with
all the rights of citizenship. The word
Indian, and all it signifies in the past,
should at once be wiped out. The gov
eminent should abandon the idea that
the Indian is an abnormal monStrosity,
who can never be reached by motives