The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-26
SOME WISE RED MEN.
INDIANS WHO LOOK OUT FOR THEM
SELVES.

Prosperous Band That Lives In Hot
water"-The Whole business In the
Hands of Women-A Cheap sanitarium.
The American Indian has been in
shot water" ever since the first white
visitor TO this country found him living
here. 1t has not always been the fault
of the white man that III some localities
where the red men We're formerly very
numerous they have been quite exter-
minated. At times, indeed, they have
been killed without cause and made
slaves without right, as in Mexico and
the West Indies.
We recall that most of the English
settlers Of America started out by treat
ing the Indians with fairness, or at least
they did not intend to murder or make
slaves of them, as did the Spaniards of
the southern countries. The pilgrim ia
theirs paid Massasoit for the land and
corn they took and William Penn made
treaty whereby he acquired large
amount of land TO be sure, the prices
paid were very small and in the light of
modern times seem quite inadequate,
but that they paid any price at all
when they might have taken it by force
of fairness.
Yet in spite of spirit of friendliness
and mutual forbearance the red men
continued to dwindle and melt away be-
| fore the advance of their white brothers.
1t was the inevitable progress of civiliza-
| tion before which the Indians could not
exist. The mode of living of the aborig-
| ines conduced to this end. Now there
was that same Massasoit, who, though
a great chieftain, yet lived in wretch
ed hut and subsisted upon the scanty
gleanings of the soil and sea.
Like him lived all his barbarian
brethren in the east, along the Atlantic
| coast and as far west as the Mississippi
valley. But when the territory in which
lie our present states Of New Mexico
and Arizona was reached it was found
that some of the Indians were dwelling
in permanent villages of stone and mud
houses. These, then, are about the only
ones who have maintained themselves
intact as against the advance of the
white mans civilization.
After our great government was
founded and we'll established we did all
we could to make amends for the losses
the Indians had suffered at our hands,
and instead of taking from them with
out pay their lands and hunting grounds
we bought them. In certain states there
are settlements of Indians who are Sc
cured in the possession of vast tracts OF
land and who are making good progress
in education and the arts of peace.
There, for instance, are the Cherokees,
who as a tribe are far richer than any
equal body of white people in this coun'
try; who have schools and colleges, i'm
mense and fertile farms, and live hap
PLY and peacefully by themselves. One
of their number years ago invented
Cherokee alphabet, and their rulers
seem wise and upright.
Those who still persist in leading 9
wild and roaming life even are looked
upon as the wards of our government,
and are protected in their rights so fal
as possible. Schools and educational in
situations of advanced grade have beer
founded for their exclusive use, and al
have been assigned reservations upof
which no white man is allowed to in
trude with the sanction of authority un
less he has been appointed to care To-
the Indians themselves.
These reservations are scattered
throughout the country, particularly IL
the west and southwest, and the lndi
ans now, instead of being permitted t.
roam about in savagery and Incidence
are encouraged to till the soil and pro
vide for their wants. Agents have beer
appointed to defend their rights, dona
tions of tools and agricultural nipple
ments have been made for their use, ant
: schools have been established at thei
: very doors, which they are compelled t.
attend.
So it will be seen that we have at las
} done much to atone for the inevitabl