The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-15
ROOT, HOG, OR DIE. !"
As the Negro Has Done the In.
dian Must Do.
General s. C. Armstrong; Views on the adj
vancsmeEt Of the African and the Red
Man-Abolish the Reservations.

General S. c. Armstrong was a promi-
nent hgure on the platform Of Association
Hal yesterday. when the usual Sunday
afternoon service for young men opened.
The old soldier. who is best known for his
highly successful lab0rs for the advance
ment Of the negro and Indian, is a tall
rather angular gentleman with hair chang
ing from gray to white, and bright gray
eyes, that turn from point to point with til g
rapidity OF a search light. His nose is large
and he wears clerieal-looking side whiSkerS.
lie spoke to the large audience that had
assembled to hear him on what had become
his life work-the retaining of the nation S
waste elements. the Indian and the negro
and his address, delivered with lightning
speed, was replete with quaint apothegms,
apt illustrations and interesting statistics.
POWER OF ASSIMILATION.
He apparently believes that the national
stomach is able to aSsimilate all that Europe
and Asia can give il. The Irish aud Ger
mans become AmericanlZed In one or two
generations, lie said, and other nations may
be absorbed by the national tissues In Ike
manner
He touched the Chinese question gently.
but lntimated that Monaghan dwellers In
America may yet WELD great power in the
advancement OF their race III Asia.
lie who thinks only OF himself Is prac-
tlcally heather" the speaker remarked, as
he turned from the foreigners in America
TO The Indians and negroes. We are not
worthy to be called men until we begin to
feel for our fellow men. | have interested
myself mostly with the negroes and lndi-
ans. Of the former there are about 7,O00.-
600 and they are worthy OF our interest. 1t
was said that these people, who had been
slaves, would he too lazy to work, but what
is the truth? They have earned $3.50, 000,-
600 worth OF property, and they have thrown
no paupers on the country.
ABILITY OF THE NEGRO.
:" 1t was said that the negro could not
learn, yet the South is spending S4.000000
per annum for their education. and has
spent $40,0O0,000 Tor this purpose since the
war.
at was said that the negro would not
fight, yet there were many good black fight
erS during the war; and the black regiments
stand high in the regular army to-day"
The General having said the best he could
for the black man turned to the red, and did
- likewise unto him. He stated that thouS-
who are kept by the Government are handi-
capped, and are inferior TO those who have
learned to earn their living. The reserva-
ton Indian Is not compelled to earn his liy-
lug, and tie consequence is that he is not
able TO do ii. He cannot work more than
five hours per day, while the negro who was
compelled to work can work ten hours or
more. 1t is supposed that the Indian is
stalwart and strong, but that is not the case.
RACE DIFFERENCES.
"Put an Indian and white man on the
trail and the Indian will beat the white in
an hour. Put hoe I'D the hands of a white
man and give another to an Indian and the
latter will soon be far behind.
THE Indian reservation" so said the
General, sis organized barbarism The
barbarian does not know the value OF time,
neither does the man on the reservation. He
will not be civilized until the reservation is
abolished.
so | say abolish the reservations and
Grant and Sherman have said the same to
me. Make the Indian support himself
and he will learn to use the tools that clYlll-
cation has provided him for.that purpose.
THE negro hates work because he always
had to work, and the Indian hates work
because he never had to work. It's good
thing that the negro was not given the
forty acres and mule, and 1t IS bad
thing that the Indian was given 800 acres
The negro was forced TO root, hog, or de-
and it was a good thing for him. Let the
Indian be taught to do likewise and his adj
Yaneement is assured
NOT AS BLACK AS PAINTED.
To General Armstrong the Indian is not
half as black as he Is painted. lie said that
nowadays we only hear of the Indian
evil deeds. No one takes the trouble to tell
OF his virtues.
"The best definition can give Of every In-
dian," said the speaker, us that he is like a
white man; he hits back. He is good dis
ciple OF Moses and believes in AN eye for an
eye and a tooth for a TOOTH and he does not
much care whose eye or tooth he gets.
General Armstrong spoke hopefully of
poor Los advancement, and intimated that
his habit OF marrying and permitting his
m ia ata ipU IA Q
race, but as we all know he insisted that
the Indian must be taught to depend upon
himself before he can hope to reach the
level attained by the negro.