Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25

now entirely forgotten. And i must confess
that ungratefully, / turned away from the sub
ject, rather inclined to believe the famous
dictum that there are no good Indians except
dead Indians
Prof. White is still in the ring, however,
for ne was at the Lake Mohonk Conference
of Indian Philanthropists in October last
and there expressed great. hope that some
day the Indian problem would be solved,
though be had not the least idea as to how
it could or would be.
1t is pleasing to know that the people
who devote their souls to the Indians do not
depend entirely on the Government to give
food and clothes to the lazy and lordly
Indians. Bishop Walker of North Dakota,
gives a little description of this sort of
charity that should nave been known to
Dickens. Supplies of clothing had been
sent to the Turtle Mountain Indians, who
were reported to be suffering, and it was
soon learned that they were selling them.
Indignant at this ingratitude of his wards
he called them together to reproach them.
The chiefs heard him patiently, and then
one of them stepped forward, and this is
what occurred, as the Bishop tells it:
Bishop Walkers Experience.
A dead silence fell upon them. Then the old
chief shook me by the hand, as is the custom,
and said: 1--WE are always very glad to well
come the high priest of the black robe (their
name for a bishop. but to-day he made our
hearts sore. He has told us what the white
people who have forked tongues Chose who do
not speak the truth) have told him. We feel
that he should have more confidence in us who
have straight tongues"
felt rebuked at the outset.
''It is the law among our Indian tribes that il
one Indian presents another with gift, he
never asks that Indian what he has done with
do a
white people; but, if it is not, it ought to be-
have to speak of what l received. A garment
was presented to me. 1t was pair of trousers.
They had six patches on them. simply cut
out the patches. 1t was beneath the dignity of
a chief to wear patched trousers"
1 felt inclined to agree with him. He shook
hands and retired.
Another came forward. ~ have also to
speak of what received" he said. Il had
suit of clothes given to me. Icould not get the
trousers on, and they were useless to me. l
sold them to man who was lean, and with the
money bought flour for my children in the
wigwam."
Raiment From Swell Society.
Another came forward. and said: 81 have to
speak about what my squaw was presented
with. 1t was little hat. 1t covered only one
half of her head, so she asked the agent to give
her another, so that she might cover her head
with the two. He had not another, so she sold
it to white woman, and took the money Tor
food"
Another rose and said: ~ have also to speak
of my sqauw's gift. 1t was dress; but it had
nothing here Caying his hands on his arms).
and nothing here tdrawing his hand around his
shoulders), but there was great deal be-
hind" (Evidently it was a decayed ball dress
in its sere and yellow leaf" "1t was useless to
heT'-our temperature is 300 or 400 below zero
in winter-''but she found a white woman who
thought 1t would do for some occasion, and she
took the money that she sold it for and spent it
for cloth for her little papoose."
1 thought it was becoming rather serious for
me. One more rose. and that capped the eli
max. He said: II have also to speak of my
squaw's gift. 1t was rounding, and had in it
something like an owls head. She did not
know where to wear it and SO she sold it." 1t
happened to be a tournurei l pItied the poor
Indian woman. l felt it was my duty to make
an apology 20 those Indians. They were red
men, and some of them were savages; but, as a
Christian man. 1 owed them an apology. and 1
made it, and we shook hands and were friends
Allotment in Severalty.
Now, what is the final proposition of
those who have nobly devoted their lives to
this work of the saving and improvement
of the Indian? The tribal and communal
system under the protection of the Govern
ment, with ample land for rowing and
loating, has proved to be a failure in their
estimation, and their best judgment is that
it is time to allot to all the tribes their land
in severalty. Miss Alice NJ. Robertson, a
grand and self-sacrifcing woman, came all
the way from the Indian Territory to the
Lake Mohawk Conference to say that she
had Just become a convert to this plan. Yet
hear what she has to say of the situation
there at this time and her reasons for such a
conclusions:
White people are coming into the Indian
Territory more and more. Already there are
more white people than Indians in the Territory
probably three times as many. The popula-
tion of the Chickasaw Nation is almost wholly
white. and the time has come when their lands
should be allotted. In this Nation 1 have been
told that one white man with Chickasaw wifo
has farm of 1900 acres. Many others hold
very large farms. and these farms are culti-
waited by the labor of white renters. The
educated, well-to-do Indians are becoming
landlord class. The poor and ignorant ones
are growing each year poorer and poorer, and
the question is how to save them from becom-
ing vagabonds after their lands shall have
been allotted to them. How shall they be
fitted to hold their own when they shall come
in competition with the white man?
The Facts Are Discouraging.
How is the allowment of lands in severalty
to deal successfully with a people like that?
How long would it be before the weak would
succumb again to the superior cunning and
theft of their neighbors? 1t is admitted BY
Senator Dawes, who has looked at this
question with anxious and philanthropic
eyes for long years, that with the allotment
OF lands the mass OF the indians would soon
have disposed of their possessions for whisky,
tobacco and guns.
Why not, in this distressing situation, let
the new political economy step in and solve
the riddle2
Let the Indians be given farms and taught
how to till the land; factories and taught
how to weave and forge; all the means of
sustenance, and not only taught how to use
them, but compelled to use them under firm
and intelligent and honest direction. The
experiment would not be as costly as that
which is now in progress, and if anything
will save the Indian it will.
Yet after all, would prefer to see this
experiment tried with the poor of our own
race who are quick to learn, willing to
work, ambitious to be part of q grander
civilization than has yet existed. The only
argument in favor of beginning with the
Indians is that they are already the nations
wards, they have the necessary lands, and
are a big bill of expense In annual appro-
priations and frequent wars. E. WI.
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