The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-02
TRAINING THE Red MAN.
Gen. Thomas j. Morgan Talks Of
Conditions and Prospects
of the Indian.
The Savage Population now Com
prise About a Quarter
Million Of Souls.
About o Tribes Own Abont 1OO.O o coo
Acres of Land Indian schools
and Life. @.~14
Written for THE HnIEsA INDEPENDENT.

Written for Thu HELENA independently
TAO MAN IN TEE UNITED STATES
~ knows more Of the American lndiar
TX than Gen. Thomas j. Morgan. Al
commissioner Of Indian affairs hi
has had to deal with our savages during
some of our most trying times in our his
tory. The Sioux trouble, the questions re-
lating to the partition of the Indian Terri.
tory, the opening and the closing of the
reservations and other great questions
such as Indian education, have been mos,
ably handled by him, and he has through
out it all manifested a wonderful knowl.
edge OF the character and possibilities Of
these people. Your CORRESPONDENT askec
General Morgan to give him a general idea
of the Indians OF tho United States as they
IRE to-day. He replied.
'Yhs number of Indians that remain
within the Jurisdiction of the United States
is about 26O. 900. They live upon the diff
ferent resel yations, except aome ten OF
twelve thousand who are scattered here
and there through the states and terrific.
yies. They represent more than 200 dis
tinct tribes. Many Of the latter have dwin'
died to hundreds. while some have be-
come SO nearly extinct that they can only
muster a few score. They are but remi.
niscences OF the aboriginal age, long since
departed. The largest tribe is the Sioux,
which, in it's numerous branches, numbers
some $4,000. There are 14O. reservations,
large and small, occupied and belonging tc
the Indians. They have a total
area OF 10000 square miles, q 49,
900, 900 acres. The ancestors Of these
people were once the sole occupants Of this
great country. We might say they owned
it all. For 800 years civilization has
crowded them from their savage homes and
hunting grounds, until now only these few
huddleu groups and communities are left.
At some time, not very far in the future,
the Indians, as distinct people, will dis
appear. Civllizing influences and the mix
ture Of blood is causing a gradual but sure
nmalgamation of the races. For them it
was a hopeless struggle from the day the
white man set foot on the ATLANTIC shore.
1t is a clear case of the survival of the tittest
and the strongest" -"~:m T.-#
what in your opinion is the first duty
of the government toward themp'
II have very decided opinions IN that
point. Some people think me radical, and
perhaps I am. ! do not believe in the
policy that was too long pursued Of sup
pol Ill t4O L1c4ulo IA AoA4S Ny PRy Tx
them %annuities of food, clothing and
money. It is far better for them and for
us to put them in the way of supporting
themselves. There is no reason why they
should cling to their old barbaric modes Of
living. Let them be educated in the Eng
trades Of civilized life and how to till the
soil. / would break up the tribal relations.
allot the lands in severnlty and thsn, as
fast rs it could be properly done, /
would invest the Indians with the full rights
and privileges of citizenship. Lot them
feel that they are a part Of the government
and not mere dependents living upon its
bounty. Their absorption into orr ma
tiouaI. life is inevitable. They ought to be no
longer Indians, but Americans. | believe
that had the right policy been pursued in
the past this point would lave been reached
long ago"
man that the only good Indian is a dead
indiana"
"Assuredly no, nor do | imagine that the
old soldier intended the remark to be taken
otherwise than in Jest. There have been and
are bad Indians and bad white men. We
cannot blame the Indians if they are not
conspicuous exemplars Of all the Christian
graces and virtues. But, while We may
admit such to be the fact rs to their mental
md moral condition, it docs not prove that
they canno be educated civilized and
C~hristianized. We do not EXPECT to make
them all college professors or doctors of
divinity, but We insist that they can become
good citizens ~.
what success has thus far been attained
in improving the condition of the Indian"
Certainly as much as there could have
been expected. There are several tribes,
notably the C%herokees, Creeks, Seminoles,
Choctaws and Chickasaws. which have
reached a high degree Of civilization,
-, k~ A1.A G n. r-l.A-
%neighbo,s. The people Of the Cherokee
Nation, in Indian territory, are a bright and
shining example of what may be done for
the Indians. They are entirely self-sup-
porting. They live in comfort, some of
them almost in luxury. They are charec-
terized by industry, thrift and good morals.
They have II complete system Of government,
and are in all respects an orderly and pros
porous community. The same is true in per
haps a somewhat less degree of the other
tribes I have mentioned. All have schools
and churches, comfortable homes and good
farms. Many have learned the mechanical
trades, and there are carpenters. black
workmen az you will find anywhere. Cen
orally speaking. these people are industri-
GUS and economical in their habits. They
are saving money and already have be-
come measurably wealthy. They are prob
ably the richest in proportion to their
1her6 are ABOUT l,0uu OF them,
and many have, in property and money,
from $3.50 600 to $40, 900 each. Th Navajos.
a large tribe in New Mexico, are also ex-
ceedinRly prosperous. They are principally
stockraisefs, and are rich in lands and
herds.
You will undertand that these tribes are
exceptional, but what they ar6 to-day,
others can be in time. Many of the Indians
have made little advance and are living in
a condition of Incidence, degradation and
brutishness. As these can be reclaimed as
others have been. 1t will take years of
patient effort, for progress must neces-
aarilv be slow, but it can be done-it must
be DONE. Teach the Indians to take ca, of
themselves and they will cease to be a bur
den Upon the nation to the amount of many
millioLs of dollars each year.
without exception, they are doing we'll.
If a system of education had been begun
forty years ago and energetically pursued,
] believe the great mass of the Indians
would to-day be many degrees higher than
they ure in the scale of civilization. The
Of these schools-that Mt Carlisle,
Pa.-was established only eleven years ago,
and graduated its first class last year.
Few of the graduates have returned to their
old homes: nud none have as yet
had the opportunity to show what
khey can do. Our experience shows that
under equally favorable conditions Indian
children are as teAchnble as any other class.
They are generally bright and ,;uick to
learn and ambitious to fit themselves for
that the pupils, after receiving a course of
Is,~ A~rr A. ~- clst .r JN ~tr A. khatv a~.ol- r~