Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-01-30
a place for clamorous politicians. The
administration of Indian affairs should

place for clamorous politicians. The
administration of Indian affairs should
be taken absolutely and forever out Ct
politics. The Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, whether his bureau is 5rancn
of the War Department, Of the Interior
Department, or an independent Depart
ment. should have undivided respon-
sibility in the discharge of his duties
and the selection of his subordlnates,
and authority and power to carry INTO
practical effect all needed reforms; and
a sufficient annual sum should be voted
to enable the commissioner to inang-
nrate and carry out such plans as may
be necessary to lrrigate the arid LANDS
to which the Indians have teen driven
to provide them with education, agrl-
cultural and mechanic as well rs lit
erary, with such supplies of tools anG
seeds as will help them to become self
supporting and to equip an adequate
Indian police force, so that the pres
will rarely. if ever, be re4uired.-Chrls-
tan Union.
We reprint the above for the many
sensible thoughts expressed as we'll as
call attention to the one weak point in
the article, which is so common with
many of our Eastern writer's and es-
pecially those who have never been in
anyway associated with the Indian
tribes of the Northwest. We are in
perfect accord with the efforts put forth
to educate, elevate, and civiliZe the In
dams. But the citizens of the North
west do nottake kindly to such sugges-
tions as the one above proposed in
which congress is asked to spend money
. to irrigate land upon which these lazy
savages are to learn farming especially
when the white settler cannot get the
necessary appropriations to develope
) for their much needed irrigation. Eas
tern people do not seem to realize that
the Sioux tribes are of different mettls
and are not as readily civilized as man,
other tribes have been. Webelieve tn
Indians have wrongs, but the citizen.
and governmentha have rights paramount
. to these semibarbarians. If the gov
= eminent is to keep them as a consider
= alton for the surrender of their land
= let it do SO as cheaply as possible upol
the Indian reservations.
Our government and phil
. antrophists must not expect to civ
!, i]ize the Indians while they are allowe
- to keep up their tribal relations, an
y receive from the government all the
:. need to eat and wear. Compel thel
to take land in severality and allo,
= them to select it in Il good agriculture
:, district if they are to be farmers and
- stock raisers then thereservation land
~ lett them are sufficient and no MOI
- arid than that upon which the whit
. settlers are striving to build up home
y and who would appreciate the assis
. ance given them. Give them school,
. and religious institutions and do a
,. that can be done to civilize them, bl
- make no appropriations of any kind $
= = long as they keep up the tribal relation
= Make them full fiedgeL citizens whe
they live as we do and earn their Twin
without aid from the government, III
til then confine them to their respecti,
reservations and allow none of the
:. to leave it under any circumstanc
g 1t is not necessary for them to do {
e. while the government supplies a
l. their needs. When they give up the
$, adherence to their chief and take upc
De themselves the privileges and respol
De sibilities of citizenship, then and n,
IN till then allow them the privilege ,
I'd stepping upon the land coded to IL
* government The government mu
n get out of theawkward position Of COZ
ry sidering them as its wards and at Il
lie same time making treaties with thel
I'd as with another nation.