Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1892-01-21

radical departure from the avowed
and practiced policy of both polit-
ical parties. From the beginning
of organized government among
the Cherokees, the education of
The youth and the protection of
the helpless poor has been the
especial charge Of the nation. The
orphan asylum, the home for the
insane and blind and the INDECENT
departments of the male and fe-
male seminaries is the outgrowth
OF this benefcient policy inaugu-
rated more than seventy five years
ago, and to-day we pride ourselves
upon the fact that there is less
suffering and ignorance among the
unfortunate and helpless poor of
our nation than any other people
under the sun, and so completely
had this idea become interviewer
in our educational system that the
education of the people meant also
the care of the unfortunate, and
until the opening of the regular
session of the council just closed,
no man claiming to represent n
Cherokee constituency ever dared
to propose to change the policy.
But the times change and we
change with them. In the latter
part of the regular session, Mr..
McLane, from Canadian, ON the
floor of the senate presented a
carefully prepared statement of his
views ON the school question, and
in that statement he. proposed to
10 away entirely with the INDECENT
or primary department OF the male
and female seminarics. In this
he was antagonized by Mr.. Wolf,
of Going Snake, and for the time
being the subject was dropped, but
| see the idea was not abandoned,
and as a member of the majority,
/ McLanc was able to have the com
mittee on education report a bill
and pass it, practically doing away
with this department of the two
seminaries and the negro high
school as we'll. The INDECENT de.
partment OF the high schools was,
in its inception aud foundation,
intended to educate the actual
helpless boys and girls OF the
/ Cherokee nation who were so un-
/ fortunate az to be in worse con-
dition than orphans, the children
| of parents who were too poor To
spare their time and clothe them
sufficiently comfortable and decent
to attend the common schools, and
for that purpose fund was ere lted.
! However much the trust may have
been abused, it was good in its in
tentiOn, and great good has come
OF its workings. That men would
misrepresent the truth, not to say
lie and swear to it, to get their
children in free is no argument
against the plan, but that fact
might be used to the disadvantage
of whoever, as officials. had charge
of the matter. What does the pres
cut law do? Does it open the door
to a single INDECENT boy or girl?
1t puts the condemnation on poy-
erty aud opens its arms wide to
receive the mOnied class. If "A
man is able to clothe his child and
do without its work he ought To
send IT to the common school, for
it never was intended that the fund
should be used for the benefit of
that class of our people. But why
complain, twas ever thus. q"
Lazarus was a gond man, neverthe-
less he had to be content with di-
viding the crumbs that fell from
| Dives table with the dogs; however
the final settlement came, Dives
| died aud wen. TO hell and Lazarus
/ was bourne away and safely lodged
in Abraham's bosom; and our poor
have their chances Of Heaven left,
however much they may have to
suffer here on account of bad legis.
| latiOn.
The negro high school is knitted
by the same cunning hand that so
deity done up the primary depart
ment Of the two seminanes. From
the beginning, all this pretended
love Of the negro, and desire to
elevate and educate him has been,
and is the variest hypOcracy, and
neither party ever cared a straw
| for the black brother further than
to get his vote on election day,
after which the negro was no more
than a poor Indian. They are re-
quired to keep up a monthly aver.
age OF twenty five, when under the
the law only twenty. five may be
entered; one death, one sick, one
truant for day and the SCHOOL j.
closed. The negro, like the poor
Indian. will have to wait patiently
and take his chances in Abraham
bosom Let Us hope that they
may not meet with disappoint-
ment in this. Another noticeable
feature Of the bill is that it makes
no detail as to the distribution of
the funds. No salaries fixed; no
number of teachers given, either
common or high; no number Of pu-
pills TO be fed aud housed; no
nothing but bulk appropriation
Of sixty thousand eight hundrel
and seventy and sixty.six one hun
dred;bs 1850, $50 66) dollars, to be
paid out Of any money in the treas
ury not otherwise appropriated, to
be expended by the superintendent
of education | suppose. The law
is not altogether clear in that re-
gard Just how anybody, except
the fellow who gets the contract
for furnishing the seminaries wood
is to get any money out Of it il
what "grives me and troubles my
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