The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-30
THY MUST EDUCATE
Dawes Commissions Indian
Territory Report
SAYS THE CHIEF EVIL
Is That White Children are
Growing up in Ignorance.

Washington, Oct. 29.-The annual re-
port Of the Dawes Indian commission.
bringing the work of that body in re-.
organizing Indian Territory up to date
! only this week. was made public TODAY
IL urges as the main call for government
aid' "fraught with disastrous conse-
quences If delayed" the need of some
provision by the national government for
educational purposes in Inc TERRITORY.
While the funds and resources of the sew
| eral tribes, properly managed, can prob
ABLY provide sufficient support for the
schools Of citizen Indians, yet the white
residents can not share IN them and
must look elsewhere for the means of
educating their children The means re-
sorted TO in all the other territories and
out of which ample school funds have
been provided, do not exist in the Indian
Territory. IN which the United States mas
not an acre Of public land or other prom
erty beyond that in public use. If the
white residents are to receive any aid
from the United States, It must be from
the outside and by direct APPROXIMATION.
II they are left without any such aid
1t viii be harsher treatment than has
been meted out TO the residents If any
other territory and will be attended With
the most disastrous consequences Thsre
are believed to be between 100000 and
100000 whit residents in the territory 20
day and well nigh 10000 OF them are chill
dren Of school age They are there 10
stay, making homes for themselves and
dpSfinHH RI hA ~ -.
OF state. While some of them, living
in the towns, are anxious to educate their |
children, and may be able to some ex-
tent to do so from their private means, |
yet it is quite different with the poor pio- |
neers in the country. who constitute by |
far he larger part Of this white popula- |
ton. They. however anxious. can not OF /
themselves command the means or the |
opportunity to educate their children |
Consequently a very large portion Of |
these $1,000 children of school age, in
creasing In number every year, are in
danger of growing up in ignorance. to
take upon themselves the responsible
ties OF citizeUshID This is not the fault
but the misfortune Of these residents If
the territory. The evils that will come of
the indifference TO this situation can not
be measured.
Summing up the results Of the years
work. the commission says:
The Indian laws in force in the terri
tory, and the Indian courts whicn adj
ministered them, have given place. with
a few unimDortant exceptions, 20 laws
TO those OF Arkansas on
the same subject matter. and have been
made applicable TO all persons in the
territory, without distinction of race
United States courts are 10 administer
and United States officers TO enforce these
laws. Provision has been made for the
allotment of all tribal lands of the terri
tory equally among all citizens. attained
as to nearly all of them upon terms
agreed to by the tribes by popular vote.
II the agreement with the Creeks be rari-
fed, as is expected, this will be true of
al but the Cherokees. and as to them It
mas been provided by statute. By the
agreements and the Curtis act. the many
thousands of white residents in the towns
Unable heretofore TO obtain title TO the
and on which they have built their
homes, and sometimes expensive business
houses, can now purchase al a fair ap-
1ra:sal these lands. Whatever rights.
,ivil or political. are enjoyed by the citi-
zen residents in any territory OF the INIT
d States. the same rights are now secnr-
ID to the citizen Indian and largely to
he white resident also in the Indian
Territory"
The report refers to the difficulty Of
making up a citizenship roll Of all the
reedmen claiming rights under the trea-
les Of 1866 with the respective tribes and
~ their descendants born since the date
4 these treaties. Neither the Choctaws
Tor Chickasaws have ever kept a roll OF
hose made freedmen by that nation nor
,ept any trace of them since ernancipa-
ion. the tribes persistently igaor:nng
hem