Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-15

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| ia ANN. MM great railroad CEN
| MN ~MfW presence of SO many
| The United States
| army is no longer an 'Tndian police" as It
has been called SO often. 1t is more likely
to be summoned to quell a riot than to put
down an uprising The secret Of this
change In To- is that he has been taught
the white mans ways and has been con-
WINGED that 1t is better to labor in the
| fields than to indulge in ghost dances and
to go on the warpath. His occupation as a
disturber OF domestic tranquility Is gone
| Hereafter he Is factor In agriculture
and commerce.
DR.. Dorchester, the late superintendent
| OF Indian schools, has said that It was
| the duty Of the government to teach the
Indian to work the fields and to engage
| in other indus trial pursuits. Some tribes
| he found which had been converted very
easily TO this new life. They were people
| who had been accustomed to a certain
| amount OF toll for many years. But the
| nomadic tribes were more difficult to han
die. Indians of middle age belonging to
! these tribes-eyen some Indians between
| twenty and twenty -five years of age-could
not learn new, habits easily. The chief
| efforts of the Indian bureau for many
years have been directed to training the
| younger Indians. Now that these are be-
coming the leaders of their tribes the eff
! feet of this training is noticeable In the
great increase of industry among the In
dams.
Major Powell, the chief of the bureau of
ethnology, writing about the Indians some
| time ago. said: More than two-thirds of
all the Indians now wrest from the soil
and from Industrial occupations the means
of subsistence without aid from the gen.
eral government, having abandoned hunt
Ing. fishing and the gathering of native
vegetables, except as pastime and for
occasional supplies. Two-thrds Of them
are actually engaged in civilized industries
and are fighting their industrial battles
with success. One-third have not accom-
plished this much and subsist in part on
native products In part on civilized
the government. All have learned to
work to some extent and all have learned
the utter hopelessneSs of contending
against the forces of civilization and have
abandoned the expectation and generally
the desire to return to their primeval con-
dition."
influence of Government RatiOns.
So small is the number now living on gov
eminent charity that less than twenty-five
per cent receive government ratons today.
Only the aged and the blind among the In
sephs band of Nez Perces which have a
special treaty, now draw rations from the
government. Every Indian agent is opposed
to the rations system. THE Mohaves, with
half a chance, will come out all right in the
end" says George A. Allen. the agent at the
Colorado River agency, but allow
ne to suggest here that as long as rations
are issued to Indians they won't do any
thing for themselves" George H. Monk
agent at the Fort Hall agency in Idaho, says
that a large proportion of the Indians do
absolutely nothing but run horses, gamble,
eat, sleep and drink. 1T is a difficult mat
! ter to make any impression upon this class
SO long as subsistence is issued to them,"
he says. There jealousies among the
Indians at the Flathead agency. Mont, be-
cause some receive rations and others do not.
"A regular issue of rations supplies to
Indians is a detriment to industry, advance
ment to independence and self-support,"
says Peter Roman, the agent. Writing of
the Indians at the Mescalero agency, the
agent says: 'They appear to be very con-
tented and happy. but their advance in civil
iiZation is very slow, and will be as long as
| the government gives them good blankets,
clothes to wear and plenty of food to eat"
These are but samples of the letters which
come to the Indian commissioner constant
ly. But the appropriation of money for the
miscellaneous support" of the Indians has
decreased fifty per cent in the last nine
years, and 1t is growing less and less, fortu-
natey for the Indians.
There are about $4,000 Indians outside
the five civilized tribes, and they earn about
$l,WO,OO year from the United States
government alone. OF this they receive
about $4,000 for products of Indian in
dustry. But Uncle Sam is not their best
customer. They make nearly 100000 a
year from the sale of their products to 9TH
ers. And they earn great deal besides by
the transportation of freight and by day
labor of various kinds. The government
pays them also $i5O,OOO a year for cutting
and banking logs. There Is an Indian police
NH n 1rnv
the public treasury Indian EMPLOYEES at
agencies draw 100000 a year, and employees
at Indian schools almost as much. Farmers
and interpreters and judges of Indian courts
are the other Indians on the government
pay roll.
Health of Indians.
Who would believe an unauthoritative
statement that a band of Indians contain
ing less than 1000 men and women made
S2oO,OOO in single year cutting and bank
Ing legs? Yet that is what the Menomonee
Indians of Wisconsin made in the year Isa3.
and they could have made more If the gov
eminent would have permitted them to cut
more timber. Their surplus energies sought
an outlet In the cuttiag of the waste timber
INTO single bolts; but this occupation was
denied them, because 1t was found that
some OF them cut green timber for the pur-
pose. contrary to the department regula-
tons.
sheep from the Spaniards in Mexico by
appropriation, are now the owners OF 125O-
600 sheep and 10000 horses and mules
The Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians
at the Pine Ridge agency, the scene of he
last Indian outbreak, are the owners of
1891 cattle and 1914 horses and mules
Even the Apaches at the Mescalero agency
In New Mexico-the much feared Apaches,
the terrors of the trail, as "Old Cap Collier''
would probably call them if he was writing
this story-own 100 cattle and make IS
pounds Of butter during the course of the
year. The entire aggregation Of Indians
under government supervision and control
makes about 100000 pounds of butter in
year. owns 2O5, 900 cattle and hauls % 0OO.-
600 pounds Of freight in a year, with 500, 900
horses and mules.
At the Umatilla agency in Oregon are the
great Indian farmers. They market 100000
bushels of wheat alone every year, with a
total male population of sos and female
population of 606. The female element must
be taken into serious consideration In an
estimate Of labor. for the redskin has rot
abandoned the idea that labor was designed
for women. THE older Indians" says Dr.
olo Of