The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-20
Commissioner Jones
Tells of Abuses
Against Them.
ROBBED OF TIMBER LANDS.
Education of Red Man
Only a Partial
Success.

Washington, Nov. 19.-The annual re-
port of the commissioner of Indian af-
fairs, William A. Jones' besides re-
viewing the progress of affairs in all
branches of the service, urges more
Schools more systematic methods,
study of individual races and subse-
quent environment in outlining stu
dies in the Indian schools. The entire
educational system of the Indian office,
he says, is predicated upon the final
adjustment of the Indian reservation
system.
There are now 2O,522 boys and girls
in attendance on the various Indian
schools out of an enrolment of $4,000,
the Indian population from which these
are taken being 1S1, 900. While the
population has remained stationary,
there has been such a steady increase in
the number of Indians being educated
as to warrant the opinion that the next
quarter century will witness not di-
minution of the Indian population, but
an extinguishment of Indian tribes.
One discouraging fact, however, is dis
closed by the unsatisfactory results of
the past nine years trials of co-educa-
ton of the Indians with the whites in
the public schools.
The report says that the results of
| this co-education are not commensu-
rate with the experience; that the idea
| theoretically is an admirable expedient
| for breaking down prejudices and civ
| ilizing the Indian, but the figures show
| it is not an unqualified success. The
full blood who needs such contact is
rarely secured and the ground work at
| least of Indian education must be laid
under the governments auspices and
control Stronger measures for forcing
the attendance at Indian schools are
urged. There are 1886 employees in the
Indian service and the policy is to en-
| ploy Indians in every position to which
| they are adapted by nature and educa-
ton.
Concerning the Indian Territory, the
report severely arraigns nepotism, lack
of management, demoralized conditions
and a deplorable state of affairs gener
ally in administering to the schools and
orphan asylums of the five Indian ma
tons.
Reporting on the Chippewa outbreak
of year ago last autumn, Commission
er Jones says: For many years Chip
pewas have been arrested and taken
from their homes to St. Paul and other
points as witnesses or as offenders in
whiskey cases. Often wholesale ar
rests have been made solely for the
fees which would accrue to the officials
Indians have been helped to obtain
work by the very ones who arrested
them for using it, In some cases In
dians carried off to court have been
left to get back home as best they
could, The whole matter of arrest by
deputy marshals had come to be a
farce a fraud, and a hardship to the
Chippewas and d disgrace to the COM
munity
when delegation of Chippewas
visited Washington last winter, their
most bitter complaint was about in
justice in the use of their funds and
frauds in the disposition of their timb-
er. Without going into details it is
sufficient to say that in 1898 the Chip
pewas were with difficulty induced to
cede to the United States large tracts
Of valuable pine lands on the repres-
entation that the sale of the pine would
bring them in a fund of several million
dollars. AS is always the case many
Indians were utterly opposed to the
negotiations. A commission was ap-
pointed to make allotment on ceded
and reservation lands and to secure
removals to White Earth to those who
were willing to go there.
Estimators were appointed to APP
praise the Chippewa pine. The ex-
pense of both is charged to the fund
of the Indians. The expense of the
commission UP to date has not been
less than 100000, most of it in salaries.
The work of the estimators proved
worthless and a second sale set of esti-
majors was appointed with no better
results, and third set OF men was as
signed to the work. Up to date about
$780, 600 has been charged to the Indi-
ans for estimating.
Meantime large tracts of pine which
had been estimated at from one-fourth
to one-half their value, We're 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 timber There are also strong
indications that considerable timber
was fired to bring it nominauy under
the head of dead timber. This was
another loss to the Indians All these
and other minor influences wrought to-
8cther to produce the general feeling
of oppression and distrust and exas-
peration, which found experience when
their arrests were undertaken by the
aid of military force"