The Irish standard., 1893-10-28
BISHOP M'G0LRICK.
An Interesting Paper Read at the.
Catholic Congress by the
Duluth Prelate.
AMERICAS INDIAN PROBLEM.

4 AMEhlLA'S lNUlAN FRU0LEM
The Bishop of the Zenith City Re.
1 views History and Suggests
Valuable Plans.
The following able and interesting
paper on present and Future Pros.
poets of the Indians in the United
States" was read by Rt. Rev. James Nc.
Golrick, Bishop of Duluth, at the Catho-
lie Congress in Chicago on Sept. Z: -.
Our young republic, but now in the
beginning of it's development, has for the
most part pursued policy OF concilia
tion in it's treatment of the Indian
tribes. 10 those who were supposed to
represent the government to it's agents
and officers, must begenerally attributed
the evils which have fallen on these
| wards of the nation, which have well
nigh blotted out nomadic race, about
whose extinction there appears to be
slight Doubt, as they recede before the
white mans advancing tread.
! The commission of nine appointed by
General Grant in 1869, after enumerating
the many notorious grievances of the In
dians, summed up by declaring that "the
history of tho government connections
with the Indians is shameful record of
broken treaties and unfulflled promises .
Theft, lying, robbery, broken promises
-suoh is the summing UP of Helen
Hunt Jackson. when, in pleading for the
rights of the Indians, she recounts the
story of their woes.
Professor Painter, agent of the Indian
Rights Association, 10 his report of 1883,
states as his conclusion after careful
investigation, chat 'the whole manage
ment of Indians has been abnormal,
with little or absolutely opportunity
for the natural laws REGULATE, social
life to operate
''The aboriginal population OF the West
Indies, of Mexico, of South America .
writes Rt. Rev. Bishop Marty, go we'll
known for bis active interest in the In
dians, twas preserved, christian1zed aud
in grest part civilized. Forty six mill
lions Of Catholic people now inhabit
those countries, with a proportion of
white people to the mixed and purely
aboriginal elements nearly everywhere
the eame-2O per cent white; 43 per cent
mixed: 81 ger cent aboriginal. North of
Mexico, the fate OF the aborigines has
been extermina alton
INDIAN POPULATION.
In the report Of the commission,
charged with the distribution of the
fund for Catholic mission work among
the negroes and indians, and of which
his eminencs, Cardinal Gibbons, is the
chairman, the Indian population is
marked AS being about 1885, The re-
port of the government commissioners OF
the Indian affairs for 1892 gives the In
dian population, exclusive of Alaska, at
248,34O; with about 5000 employees. The
location If the Indian population, to-
getber with the statistics of Catholic In
diane, churches, sisterhoods and reli-
gions for the lest year, 1892, makes very
interesting reading.
In the enumeration of the Catholic
Indians the 10000 Indians from Browns
vi le are largely Mexican half breeds and
are nearly all Catholics. The report
from Cheyenne does not give the num-
Der of Catholics, but we may safely put
down the entire number of Catholics as
fully one-third OF the Indian population.
In 1891 the total Indian population was
given as 9,273 and of these 8089l were
Catholics. In the statistics of 1876 there
were enumerated 26O different tribes in
the United States amounting to about
3OU,OOO Indians Theee were widely
scattered, roaming around in the chase
during the year and only settled in their
camping grounds during the winter and
early spring. For many Of these tribes
the government holds in trust certain
funds belonging to them and for which
they receive the annual interest
Five tribes, civilized, Cherokee, Chick.
asaws, Choctaws, SeminoIes, and Creeks,
have q trust fund Of $S, ,O0S, ,525 80 with
an annual interest Of $4l3, ,79Ql1, while.
thirty other tribes have about ZIG, ,0O0, 600
for their benefit, This fund, il we'll
managed and properly disbursed, would
be q great assistance % the Indians, but
the commissioners, clerks, inspectors,
supervisors, agents, boss farmers, physi-a7
clans, teachers, and all the rest OF the
multitude to whom the Indian IS 20
valuable, take to themselves : very large
percentage Of the fund belonging TO-
'ti,ese poor people.
S hs constant of the White
mn md tho sysr lina ismand ior: