St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-12-28

party For this ne was never forgiven
by many of his former associates, and
he found, as one Of his friends expressed
It, that Jordan was a hard road to
travel" so far as remaining in the south
and becoming prosperous, and he is
glad to live in Washington instead Of
the south.
Asks the President to Change His Luck.
Some of the letters received by the
president are verltable curiosities in
literature. The following Is copy of a
letter which came in his mail quite re-
Gently:
Niagara Falls, N. Y, Dec. IA. 1898.
Mr.. Mckinley, Washington, Maryland:
Dear Observation-Disclosures me to take the
liberty to write to you. j am French
man. live in this country IL years. !
diden't loose my time to have my papers
to be a sdisin of the United States. So
like France like the republicans. /
have been voting for the republicans
since am aloud. Since am in Emerica
/ have such bad luck and l wish you
would be so good as to change my luck
If you pleas. l wish for you and all your
relatin to have good luck. l have 5
children and most Of them are born in
Emerica. Dear Sir, you are egukated
and know this country.
wish If you can there Is so much land
In Emerica have piece to make home
for my family. And to raise cattle for
the supply of the United States. have
raised cattle in the old country Dear
Sir II you can do something for me I will
rember you for the rest of my life
wish please if you can get me a place
l will pay what Is needed little every
year. But would not like to go some
place where the climet Is bad or danger
from the Indians. would be only to
glad to have home for my family 1
would be perfectly willingly to raise any
cattle that is needed. 1 will thank you
very much If you can do something good
for me. Excuse me IL trouble you.
Very Respectfully yours,
Civilizing the Indians.
That the Indians are slowly but surely
becoming civilized in their mode of liv-
ing and adapting themselves to new
order of things without resorting to
bloodshed Is no longer matter of doubt.
The evidence is overwhelming in support
of this statement. At the same time the
Indian has much to contend with and is
confronted with scheming, wicked and
constituencies white men whichever way
he turns, who seek to cheat and defraud
him of what little property he may have
acquired, so that his faith in human ma
fitra a tin,ac 10 cnralv triad The
policy of the administration Is now to
break up all tribal relations of the In
dians, so far as holding vast reserva-
tions of public lands in common, and to
induce the Indians to take allotments In
severalty, and to allow their surplus of
lands to be sold for the benefit of the
members of the tribe. While some of
| the largest tribes have accepted this
| proposition. others appear chary about
doing SO and regard the matter with sus.
| picion, experimenting that 1t is only an
other attempt to defraud them of their
rights heretofore guaranteed by treaty.
| They have been deceived and misled so
| often that they naturally are reluctant
to surrender that which they know be-
longs to them by right and which the
government of the United States has
solemnly pledged shall not be taken from
them except by their own consent. Re-
Gently the Creek Indians in Indian Terri
tory held an election to decide whether
they would accept treaty made with
other tribes in that territory by the
Dawes commission-wMch provided that
the lands should he allotted and the sur
plus sold-and they rejected 1t. Before
the election small handful printed in
the Creek language was circulated
among the Indians, setting forth reasons
why the treaty should not be ratified.
The objections were shrewdly and
forcibly put and would have done credit
to a New York or Boston politician, and
probably were the honest sentiments of
thinking Indian. The following ex-
tract from the circular shows the In
dams method of reasoning:
AT no time have we ever occupied
lands In allotments, hence 1t will not be
suitable for us. The United States has
her citizens on individual allotments, and
many of them very poor, not owning
' even very humble home. passing about
In poverty When we see even them in
this condition we feel that allotments
will more surely bring us no good but
punishment rather"
viii Not Sanction the whipping Post.
The president is opposed to the use of
the whipping post as a method of pun
lshment for crimes committed. The
Choctaw Indian nation by its legislative
council recently passed a law providing
for the whipping by the lash of persons
detected In thieving. and strenuous eff
forts were made by persons represent
ing the tribe to induce the president to
give his approval to the measure, but
this he would not do and returned the
bill, upon the recommendation of Secre-
chiefs claim that whipping Is more
dreaded by the violators of law than i'm
prsonment, and that the opposition to
such punishment Is based purely on sen.
timental grounds. All acts passed by
the Indian council have to receive the
approval of the president before the!
become law.
Mall Service In the Philippines.
The postofiice department Is arrang.
Ing to send force of clerks to the Philip
pine islands the latter part of Januar,
to establish postoffices on the largest o.
the islands and arrange for mail service
and In selecting persons to go the post
master general will include several news
paper men, who are anxious for an op
portunity to write the new possession
up. The list has not yet been fully mad,