Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-21
ROOF on biz.
The Indian Must Very Soon Become
SeIf-Supporting.
Indians and Religisn-An Old Question Being
Discussed In Congress.


was put in charge Of Indian appropriations
Just at the time when the Indians were in
the most troublesome stage of their transf
ton and when the necessity for ccon6sny
was most severely felt. Although We have
all known In a general way that the situa-
ton In the far west had radically changed
in the last 90 years, VIC did not realize how
completely the old Indian problem bad be-
come obsolete and how puZzling tho new
problem had become until the recent discus
sion. For over week it ragged with almost
intcrnccinc fury, and nobody can even
guess how long 1T might have gone on If
tho committee on rules had not pcrcmpto
rily put an end to it. 1t would consume
mary columns to report what Judge Hol-
man, sMr. Lynch OF Wisconsin, Mr.. Hun
ter Of Illinois and other members Of the
Indian committee say in defense Of their
bill and the new departure flor 1t amounts
10 that, but the gist Of 1t may be summed
up thus;
The Extinct J:ufYaIoes.
AS late as 1866 all the Indians Of the
great plains and Rocky mountains were
practically self supporting, for the buffa-
locs in uncountod millions still roamcd
from the stalscd plains nearly to the Sas-
katchcwan. In 1867 there were still 800
miles of hostile Indian country between
the most castcrly settlement in Colorado
and the most westerly settlement in Kan
eas Even in 1871 1t was estimated that
there were buffaloos enough to consume
the pasture of an area 300 miles wide and
1900 miles from north to south-that is
~ soy, about 3, 200, 900 buffaloes. Within
five years thereafter all those herds had
"a, .I.ta
had swallowed them, and the new Indian
problem began. On tho part OF the In
dams it was u fight for subsistence; on
the part Of the border men, a war of exter-
mination, and tho latter, of course, won.
Indian wars arc over, and now the qucs-
tion Is, Must the remaining wild Indians
DC supported indefinitely or be forced to
become self supporting The committee
has made an effort to steer between extreme
views, adopting this general policy: All
the tribes to be located on lands Of their
own choice, with limited reservations, all
other Indian lands to DO thrown open to
settlement, Indian education to be con
ductcd at home, so that the whole tribe
may be elevated instead Of few individ-
uals, and all allowances to be cut down to
the narrowest possible limit, so that the In
dams may learn at once that they must
depend upon themselves.
Indians and Religion.
1t is needless to name the various par
ties combined against this policy for wor-
thy or unworthy reasons. The Quakers
protested in n memorial of singular force
against any reduction in the educational
fund. Friends of the teachers and super
intcndcnts pointed out that salaries al
ready too low for men of ability were to DO
further reduced. Some far western men
wanted more money for their localities,
and Others were savage against the prac-
tice of taking Indians east to DO educated,
while Johnnie Wilson, Mr.. Picker, Mr..
Curtis and other far western men urged
that IL u radical change was to he made it
should DO made rs rapidly ms possible and
the Indians started ON their now road in
good shape. On this subject Colonel j.
j. Noah, now n journalist, but formerly
chief of division of Indian affairs under
the Harrison administration, says: "All
the difficulties Of dealing with the Indians
In the transition state of which Judge Hol-
man speaks are not only as great MS he
thinks, but very much greater. That,
however, does not account for the furious
acrimony shown in this debate. Reduc-
ton of the salaries of some appointecs ac-
counts for part of IL. but back of IL all is
really the religions ouestion President
Grant inauuurntcd tho practice of handing
over several tribes 10 tho various religious
denominations and oltbouyb There was
some grumblinr over Il there never was n
heated discussiop ON tho religions issue
till Hon. II I Morgan became commits.
sioncr. or cours, Won rcmcmbcr what n
racket tberc was over some of HE do;nys
He tried to set nm these local schools for
Ipdians--fancy schools. we cnllct, them
and the question ms IN the religions man.
agcmcnt of those schools is still ranking
in MANY minds. Secretary Noble then
did all bc could 10 co,,alizc matters. and so
does Commissioner Br,,vninu Int Gen.
Grad Armstrong. who acted ms commits
sioncr for some time has really had most
to do with II. and he has advocated nhol-
ishinu these fancy scbools and giving the
Indians n NOR, practical education
The ,rn,ycrsnl Problem.
Thecomuiss,oncr,s a,n,al ,,,nort shows
the str,ngth or thc Ca,hn,ic ;ntcr,st an In
1,,n schno,S a,a tb,, - tho onornrs 10
bistoric,i,x. lnn,,, tn every schoolhoy bnt
ncmocratic n,cnhors Of RI, cn,nmittec AFRO
lo,tb Ia admit th,t r,,iy;ous preiudice ;s n
notcnt factor in ,bc discussion Thcv nrr.
Il