Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-11-20


CHIPPEWA OUTBREAK OF LAST
FALL - ROBBED OF THEIR
LANDS, TIMBER AND MONEY.
WASHINGTON, November 19-The
annual report of the commissioner OF
Indian Affairs, VIM. A. Jones, besides
reviewing the progress of affairs in all
branches Of the service, urges more
schools, more systematic methods,
study of individual traits and consider
| alton Of subsequent environment in
outlining studies in the Indian schools.
The entire educational system of the
Indian Office, he says, is predicated
upon the final adjustment of the an
| omolous Indian reservation system.
There are now 20,522 boys and girls in
attendance on the various Indian
schools, out of an enrolment of over
$4,000, the Indian population from
which these are taken being $4,000.
While the population has remained sta
tionary there has been such steady
increase in the number of Indians
being educated as to warrant the opin-
ion that the next quarter century
will witness not a dimunition of the
Indian population, but an
REIMBURSEMENT OF INDIAN
TRIBES.
One discouraging fact, however, is dis
closed by the unsatisfactory results Of
the past nine years trial Of co-educa-
ton of the Indians with the whites in
the public schools. The report says the
results of this co-education are not
commensurate with the experience;
that the idea theoretically is an admir-
able expedient for breaking down pre-
JUDGES and civilizing the Indian, but
the figures show it is not an unqualified
success. The full blood, who needs
such contact most, is rarely secured,
and the ground work at least of Indian
education must be laid under the gov
ernment's auspices and control.
stronger measures for
FORCING THE ATTENDANCE
on Indian schools are urged. There are
1852 employees in the Indian service
and the policy is to employ Indians in
every position to which they are adap-
ted by education and nature A thor
ough and exhaustive investigation of
the Seminoles in Florida has resulted
in the discontinuance of the office of
industrial teacher and other employees
and no school will be established for
them at present, their real and fancied
wrongs having embittered them against
governmental assistance. The removal
of the PERKS school in Southern Cali
fornia and rebuilding it in a more suit
able locality will be recommended to
Congress.
Concerning the Indian Territory, the
report severely arraigns nepotism, lack
of management, demOralized conditions
and a deplorable state of affairs gener-
ally in administering the schools and
orphan asylumS of the five Indian ma
lions.
Out of twenty-one building schools,
not more than four of the superintend-
ents are reported competent to teach
purely English branches and financial
management is especially complained
of. Reporting on
THE CHIPPEWA OUTBREAK
of last autumn, Commissioner Jones
says:
For many years, Chippewas have
been arrested and taken from their
homes to st. Paul and other points as
witnesses or as offenders, chiefly in
whisky cases. Often wholesale arrests
have been made solely for the fees
which would accrue to the officials.
Indians have been helped to obtain
whisky by the very ones who arrested
them for using il. In some cases In
dams carried off to court have been
left to get back home as best they
could The whole matter of arrests by
deputy marshals had come to be a
farce, a fraud and hardship to the
Chippewas and a disgrace TO the COM
munity.
"But neither does this by itself ex-
plain the outbreak. When a delega-
ton Of Chippewas visited Washington
last winter, their most bitter complaint
was about injustice in the use Of their
funds and frauds in the disposition of
their timber. Without going into de-
tails it is sufficient to say that in 1899,
the Chippewas were with difficulty in
duced to cede to the United States large
tracts Of valuable pine lands on the
representation that the sale Of the pine
would bring them in fund of
SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS.
As is always the case, many Indians
were utterly opposed to the negotia-
| tions. A committee was appointed 10
make allotments on coded and reserva-
ton lands and to secure removals TO
White Earth Of those who were willing
to go there Estimators were appointed
TO appraise the Chippewa pine. The
expense of both is charged to the fund
of the Indians. The expense Of the
commission up 10 date has not been less
than 100000, most Of it in salaries.
| The work of the estimators proved
worthless, and a second set of estima-
tors was appointed with no better re-
suits. and a third set Of men was as
signed to the work. Up TO date about
$3.50 900 has been charged TO the IN
dams for estimating. Meantime, large
tracts of pine which had been estimat-
ed at from one-fourth TO one-half their
value, were sold and that loss also
FELL UPON THE INDIANS.
again, under authority to dispose Of
dead and down timber, contractors have
cut large quantities OF green standing