The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-21
THE CREEo.
A Talk With Major Watson About Their
Deportation to Canada.

Talk With Maj pr Watson About Their
| Deportation to Canada.
Few places suffer more from the
| cree Indians than Silver Bow county
and the following talk published in the
Billings Gazette, with Major ]. w.
| watson, Crow Indian agent, will be
( read with interest:
How many Crees did recently
round up on the Crow reservation?
| Well. have under surveillance at the
Crow agency now about 3d." continued
the major. land they will be turned
over to the federal authorities Just as
soon as General Merritt of the depart
ment of the Dakotas so orders, which
/ anticipate will be very shortly. When
this contingent of Crees was first
rounded up and placed under svrveil-
lance there seemed to be considerable
apprehension felt among the Indians,
and they were averse to being taken
back to Canada, being impressed with
the belief that they would be punished
by the British government for the hand
they took I'm the Reil rebellion. / called
up the chief, however, and explained
the real situation to him and he laid
the matter before his followers. They
were greatly relieved upon learning
that their deportation to Canada had
nothing whatever to do with the late
rebellion and now seem ready and will
ms W Dt dCTOSS the
border imagine, though, that con-
siderable difficulty will be experienced
by the federal troops In rounding up all
the Crees in Montana. Many OF them
are averse to returning to Canada, and
will make strenuous efforts to escape
capture. They have all been informed
through one source and another of
their approaching deportation and
those in Eastern Montana have struck
out for the mountains When the
troops get out after these clipping rene
gade reds. though, they will find that
Uncle Sam has men who know the
mountains like a book. In their igno-
rance, the Crees fiatter themselves that
they can hide themselves away in some
isolated and secure retreat in the weird
Businesses of the Rocky mountains, but
I'm this they will find themselves Woe
fully mistaken. Their attempt to evade
capture will prove foolish and futile"
In reply to an interrogatory as to the
present population of the Crow tribe,
Agent Watson said:
According TO last years census
there were 2,130 Crows on the reserva-
ton. but / think the population has
decreased somewhat since that time.
In fact. the Indians of every tribe are
on the decrease as regards numbers.
Somehow civilization doesn't agree
with the untutored savage. and IL is
MY ppiiiioH Nuil III lVU years lTOTH now
the Indian races will have become
extinct The restrictions of
civilization are not conducive to the
longevity of the wild men from whom
this country was wrested.. When the
Indians come in contact with the
and are compelled to forsake
the method of living which has been |
theirs from time immemorial, the re-
straint placed upon them proves dis
astrous. IL is simply a question of the
survival of the fittest, and the Indians
will have to give way to the onward
march of civilization.
white blood Is fast making its APP
pearance among the Crows. and half
and quarter breeds are rapidly multi
plying on the reservation. 1t is fair to
presume that the generation following
the rising one will all have white
blood in their veins As l said before,
A full blooded Indian will be curiosity
within the next 100 years"
Mrs. Emma Smith De Voc will de-
liver a lecture at the Auditorium next
Friday and Saturday evening Sub
Iect, "Women's Suffrage" Everybody
Invited