Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-11-12
u5MUCH MONEY.
Indians Would Be Better OFT
Without Grovernment
NJ Annuitiee.
From Tue days Pioneer Press:

pal missionary among the CnlpPe'
vi Indians, spoke before the Min.
nesota Historical society last
evening. His theme was the past
and present condition Of the In
dams OH the White Earth, Lesch
lake and Ca,s lake reservations,
among whom he has been laboring
for the past twenty-four years.
He has come to have q very inti.
mate acquaintance with Indian
character and traits and customs in
that time. aud this knowledge has
caused him to have . high regard
tor the Indian character, when at
its best, undiluted with the vices
of the white men. He exploited
the traits Of the Chippewas as they
existed In their uncivilized state,
their hospitality, love Of truth,
honesty and along certain lines
their intelligence, and he related
instance Of each that had come
within his personal observation.
Their immunity from certain Of
the evils Of mankind he comment
ed upon at considerable length.
He had never known Of but one
insane Indian in all his expert lce,
and but one suicide had come to
his notice.
: The one besetting sin of the
Indian he considered to be lazi-
ness. Life, was one continual
holiday with him. The present
system ofgovernment annuities he
held was the worst possible thing
that could have been devised, so
far as results were concerned.
1t only confirmed them IN their
laxiness and shlftlessness, and was
a pretty effectual bar to their ma
terial progress. The system had
forty years yet to run, but better
far would it be to dump the whole
forty years Of annuities on the
Indian at once and let it be spent.
as quickly as possible. When the
money v IS all gone and no pros.
pect Of any more in sight, it
would be possible then to do somes
thing to counteract the racial
Of sympathy oall kinds.
of practical effort.
In remarks following his paper.
MI. Gilfillan urged upon the MEM
bsrs Of the society the necessity Of
governmental action in the line Of
schools. Schools was the Indians
one great need, and 1t was sur
prising to him that Minnesota's
representatives at Washington
had not presented the matter to the
attention Of congress long before
now. He urged that the society
use its influence in this direction.
Nine.tenths Of the Indian children
Of the Chippewa tribe We're grow
ing up without instruction. The
other tenth were attending out
side schools. The Indian parents
objected to sending their children
away from home, however. The
schools need not cost the govern
ment cent, he said The Indians
wanted them and were willing to
have the gov eminent build them
and deduct the expense from the
money to be paid them on account
of their pine land ownings. A
system Of boarding schools at or
near their homes would remove
the children from the vice, squalor
and bad examples Of their homes
and work wonders in their future
status.
Following Mr.. Gilfillan's paper,
which will be printed in the Re.
ports Of the society, Bishop Whip
pie spoke briefly, recounting some
Of his experiences to prove the
claims of the speaker IS to the
Indians proven bal honesty and
candor and truthfulness.
The supreme court has decided
that the city council Of Sank Cen.
tire can try Mayor Townsend on
the charges they make against
~~tR1 FA-ff * 4 -