Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-04


To add that they have no friends would
be an exaggeration, but not a very great
one, for the Devils lake Sioux are the
remnants of certain bands which have
the reputation of having been "mighty
bad Indians"
Not quite a mile south of the southern
bend of the lake stands the well built
Fort Totten, from which hardy regulars
have gone on expeditions against the
Indians when the mercury was 80 degs.
below zero. A little nearer the lake is
the village, comprising the residence of
Maj. Cramsie, long the efficient agent of
those Indians. the other houses and shops
of the agency, the store, hotel and United
States signal service Office. Mai. Cram
sic is among the best informed men in
the nation on Indian affairs, and his in
telligent wife (herself boasting trace of
Indian blood is an efficient interpreter
and devoted friend of their dusky wards.
Half a mile further north and on ridge
rising rapidly from the lake is a fine
Catholic church and large school and
boarding house, in which ten sisters of
teach the young aborigines.
And if one wants to hear the three
typical views of the "Indian question, {"
in all the purity of plain language, in
spired by enthusiastic conviction, he can
hear them at these three adjacent CEN
ters. At the fort and agency store, hotel,
ETC., he can get the straight western
view: Good Indian, dead Indian, etc. {"
If the tourist insists ON debating the
matter he will hear some philosophy like
this: "White man and Injun may be of
the same species; SO are the dog and the
wolf-anyhow, they will cross But
the dog will guard sheep and the wolf
will kill them. May ybe these Iniuns could
be c<ilized-in long time-but they'll
all be dead before the time comes"
At the school "Sister Page" or "Sister
franklin will tell the visitor in musical
French or choice English that their
charges are most promising; 1.-The only
trouble is when we get through with
them they have to go back to the smoky
and dirty cabin. Oh, the government
ought to see to it that more help is given.
There is no need of soldiers and fort
here now. All those pretty buildings
ought to be made into an Indian home.
Then we could educate every boy and
girl on the reservation, and start them
in life able to work at q trade and make
a good living. We long to do the work,
asking only room and rations-it is our
life work-if the government will only
give us the chance"
Maj. Cramsie takes practical mans
view of the matter, viz: 1.-The Indians
are just as capable Of being civilized as
any other race, but, like any other, they
must take time. The impatient Ameri-
can cannot wait-he wants it all done in
two or three years. So the Indians are
living in tight log houses and haven't
yet learned how to live in them. They
are working and learning, but under SO
many difficulties that in half the cases
by the time a man has mastered farming
he dies of lung disease"
In times of plenty the Indian still ex-
hibits the childish trustfulness of the
natural man. The halfbreeds often appear
in this respect even more improvident
than the Indians Their dances, feasts
and social life are picturesque and pleas
amt; but they do not "keep the wolf
from the door" in winter and times of
scarcity. About the rude log cabins in
which most of the Devils lake Sioux
live one may see much suffering any
winter; for there is a great deal of scrof-
ula and pulmonary disease among the
half civilized, who have lost, or been
compelled to give up, all the habits of
wild life, and have not well acquired
new ones. This winter the suffering is
terrible. The poorly clad and worse fed
women and children shiver about the
cabins, while the men are away in the
woods, chopping for a mere pittance.
Much has already been done in response
to their appeals. The children at the
Carlisle Indian school have sent SOCIAL
their savings. Many others have given
small sums. Indian Commissioner T. ].
Morgan has advanced $4,000 of the COM
ing years appropriation. The sisters at the
school have furnished medicine at their
own expense. Maj. Cramsie has secured
small contributions from other sources.
Still there is much suffering. The
grippe" has swept the reservation and
left fearful amount of pneumonia in
its wake. And in the face of this destitu-
ton the fact is presented that the govern
ment still owes these people $1,000, 900
on their lands taken by the railroads;
congress is merely slow in making ap-
Those theorists who want
government to edo everything for every
body" might learn something by observ-
ing how it does the small bit of humani-
tartan work now committed to it by the
constitution. j. II. BEADLE.