The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1893-02-18
OUR INDIAN POPULATION,
The Government Method of Counting the

Government Method of Counting the
Indians.
The result of IN apparently fair eff
fort to count the Indians in this couu-
try is published in the preliminary
bulletins of the census bureau. 1t is
the work of one Thomas Donaldson,
who reports the total number of red
men to be 249, 273, and declares that
there has been an apparent decrese of
1, 122 in a total of 1873, 3S2 reservation
Indians since 1889. In the mind of
anyone acquainted with the subject
two doubts arise. 1t does not seem
possible hat the decrease has been
sc slight, and it is not altogether like
ly hat n Jealous effort to arrive at
the actual number of the aborigines
has now, for the first time, been at
tempted.
The census statistician reports that
many of the special agents engaged
in the work met with serious and dan
gerous opposition. The enumerators
of the five civilized tribes in the Indian
territory were mostly Indians appoint
ed on the recommendation of the prin-
cipal chiefs. At Oraibe, Ariz., trouble
was threatened, and a factional dis
turbance occurred over the question of
enrolment or non-enrollment. One of
the enumerators was confined for sew
eral weeks in a Moqui town, but was
finally released. In some localities
meetings were held and native clergy
men advised against enrolment"
The report says further tn at the port
folios of the enumerators "were sug-
gestive of books, n many of the In
dams considered them books of new re-
ligious creeds and refused to answer
the questions. Others advised resist
ance, claiming that the enrollm ept was
a scheme to get their names, which
would then be attached to an alleged
treaty, n they would be robbed of
their right to remain on their lands.
Naturally suspicious of a white man,
and doubly so of a government official,
it was only by the cool judgment and
patience of the special agents that the
work was performed"
There is a great deal of naivete in the
suggestion that the Indians were afraid
OF the introduction of new religious
creeds, and there is frankness-perhaps
more than was intended-in the state
ment that the red men are 'doubly sus-
picious of a government official" In
dian lands have been stolen before this
with less trouble Than a pretended emu
meration of a tribe. Nearly every can
did man not in government employ,
and a great many soldiers and others
not connected with either the census or
the Indian bureau, who has written
about the Indians, has shown
that there is good reason why
the red man should suspect the
government and it's employees. Col.
Richard Irving Dodge, in his book on
"Our Wild Indians" asserts that sail
Indians have a strong superstitious re-
pugnance against being counted, and
this of late years (since the government
has been issuing rations) is liable to a
suspicion of self-interest. They entire
ly appreciate the advantage Of getting
500 rations for 800 or less mouths" In
another place he says that it is impos-
sible to get at the correct mum Der of In
dams where the government makes It
to h advantage Of both the Indians
and he Indian agents to exaggerate
the numbers. The vanity of the In
dams used to help to deceive all who
tried to measure their numbers. 1--WE
are as the leaves on the trees" they
they have been corraled on reserva-
tons the lying is ably continued by
those who live upon them.
Captains Lewis and Clarke, in their
report of their heroic journey to the
Pacific coast, gave figures as to the ex-
tent of the various tribes they saw or
heard OF. They calculated that, be-
tween st. Louis and the west coast,
they met with tribes composed Of 80, 800
souls in all. They estimated that there
were as many Indians as that on the
further side of the Rockies, and that
there were 80, 900 in the Oregon terri
tory of that time, which was the open
ing of this century. When it is remem-
bered how small a part of the United
States they became familiar with, 1t
will be seen, at theii rate of c~alcula-
ton, the whole number Of red people
would have been very great. Catlin,
h best-informed man in his time upon
this subject, rated the number of Black
feet ct 80, 900 in his day. It Is said that
they did not number a quarter Of that
sum, and Catlin says that he got his fig
ures from an Indian agent.
AS Col. Dodge says, the estimates
upon the subject of the total number
Of Indians when the first settlements
were made by the whites range from
800, 900 to 5000, 900. He takes account
of their wars, of the great territory
each band required, and of the uni
versal lack of fecundity among their
women" and reaches the conclusion
that the Indian population of the coun-
try never at any time much exceeded
500, 900 souls. Col. Dodge's book was
published in 1885, and he SAYS that the
last official report of the commissioner
of Indian affairs, which he had before
him, credited the red race with 25S, 600
souls within our borders. "This is at
least one-ffth too great a figure" he !
odds. And yet in 1890, after half a
dozen years of that ratio of decrease
which most western men believe TO be
very rapid, the government returns de- |
ternine the Indian population to be
249, 273.
The Indians, the Indian agents, the
beef contractors, and the traders
around each reservation are interested
In exaggerating the number of men,
women and children in each band, and
unless the last enumerators paid no
heed to what any of these persons said,
but actually counted noses" we know
no more about the Indian population
than we did before. There is such a
cloud of Justification over the whole
subject, and such a good reason why
the white men know the truth should
conceal it, that the chances are ten to
n against the reliability of any Off
cial report upon the subject.-N. Y. Sun.
Not In It-Sister Kate-"John, L
see you with Cora Bellows very often.
1 fear you are deeply in love" John
(mournfully)-"No. Pm not in it with
her. "-Yankee Blade. Al