The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-11
UP-TO-DATE INDIAN.
lie Has Buried the Tomahawk ana
Now Uses the Ballot.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.


Now Uses the Ballot.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
! Pender, Neb-The Winnebago is an up
to-date Indian. His squaw is not There
are a. few surviving ruins of old racial
characteristics about the former, but years
! of touch with the white brother and
| quick incubation of civilized ideas have
| transformed the war-painted, scalp-llft-
/ ing Winnebago of 65 into the peaceable,
| political and somewhat sporty Indian of
to-day. who leases his land to white men
! and spends the revenue.
The feathers and blankets have been
| discarded. Tomahawks are covered with
! six spadesful of earth. The substitute is
| the garb Of civilization, with Il strong wes-
4 tern personality. from the rim of the SOM
/ brero to the 'soles of thick -soled, lace
| shoes.
The Winnebago's weapon now Is the bal
/ lot. he is now full-hedged in all the rights
/ of civilization. including one which is re-
! garded as the brightest Jewel in the
crown of citlzenship-namely. the right
/ to walk to the polls on election day and
/ cast for a free vote
The men of this tribe not only know the
! intrinsic value of a vote, but have become
1 so thoroughly Americanized that some of
the more intelligent have developed inter-
1 cst in the issues Of the campaign and mas
/ tered the intr!cacies of caucuses.
! Figuratively and literally. the Winneba-
/ go favors free silver. with emphasis on
the free" This Unborn preference for
| small money is prompted largely by the
4 knowledge of the exhilerating beverage
that can be purchased with It.
/ These up-to-date Indians mix whisky
! with their politics just the same as pale
( faced people do. The federal statutes
pertaining to prohibition OF selling liquor
TO Indians IS regarded by the latter as a
farce
I II = almost openly defed by peddlers Of
liquor known in popular parance as
! 'bootleggers," who smuggle whisky to
| the susceptible victim whose capacity is
only exceeded by thirst which complete
| prostratlon temporarily relieves. A bot
tie OF whisky has more persuasive infu-
| ence on an average Indians vote than a
barrel of flour.
L A little brown jug well-nlled could win
/ an Indian caucus and be more prolific in
! securing votes than three perspiring or
ators on a platform draped with the
/ glorious but overworked stars and stripes.
The Winnebagos are divided in politi-
| cal belief but unanimous in loyalty to
/ one of their number who is nominated
by any ticket. Hiram Chase, the pres
I ent judge Of Thirston county was elect
ed largely by an Indian constituency.
The voting strength of the Winneba-
| goes is confined to the masculine mem
bers of the tribe, who number 4S7 out of
! 1870. The ballots are cast under the re-
| quirements of the Australian system and
as a rule the Thirston county CNebraska)
| Indian in politics votes straight ticket
| by placing cross under the emblem
| which suits his fancy.
Socially, the tribe is clannish, with in
tense hatred for their neighbors the Oma-
| has, whose land adjoins that Of the Win
! rebago. The morals of the whisky-loving
| Winnebagos are bad. Among the men
they are loose.
The squaw is not the beauty of IDEAL
| ism found in literature, but is in fact
the repulsive prototype Of realism. They
| are far behind the men in advancement.
i Their recognition of modern ideas IL
largely confined to adopting calico and
| gingham dresses for wearing apparel
! Style is staple. There are some intel
ligent half-breed Indian women who
have become educated and well read.
/ One of these, a young half-breed girl,
was recently found reclining langudly In
! q hammock ejoying the pictures in Du
! Maurier's great novel and even master
Ing the French within the covers of that
/ remarkable literary production. But the
/ plain. everyday squaw and the ordinary
! Indian maiden is unsophisticated, uned-
/ ucated and uncleanly, ready to sell her
soul for bottle of liquor, or the legal
/ tender which will obtain il.
Their marriage ceremony is the per-
sonifcation Of simplicity, freed from all
4 the frills of licenses, parson fees and
extended bridal tours. The applicant
for an Indian maiden's hand. after a brief
/ courtshp, accompanies the choice Of his
| heart to the tepee or cottage Of the pros
4 pective father-in-law. They kneel upon
/ a blanket four feet from the door, and
| call upon the old man to come forth and
I sanction the mutual love which both
| claim for one another
| In some respects this joint appeal is
regarded as better than the American
/ plan, as the girl faces the music with
| her prospective husband and pleads with
| the latter for parental sanction OF the
match. 1t has tendency to brace up
the young man.
| IL the father of the girl does not APP
prove the match he energies from the
| house or tepee and saunters away con-
! temptuously with his back turned toward
the applicants. This negative procedure
is accompanied by deep grunts. There is
no appeal from this decision.
IT, on the other hand, the match finds
favor in the eyes Of the parent. he lights
long pipe, takes three whiffs emblemat-
ical of peace, comfort and happiness,
walks to where the lovers are kneeling.
| and after presenting the pipe to the pros
pective son-in-law, places his hand on the
heads Of the candidates for his approval,
biesses them with q rich, native accent
and places his daughters hand in the big
fist OF the young buck who wants to mar
ry her.
Then the happy couple kiss each other
thrice and enter the house where an in
formal wedding feast Is spread.