The evening times., 1900-04-27
the Indian Question.

The Board of Indian Commissioners, in its
thirty first annual report. makes special
note OF two or three things. There is
recommendation that action should be
taken requiring the immediate registra-
ton Of all married Indians at all agencies.
license for all Indian marriages. and in
sistence for the future upon marriage IN
accordance with the laws and customs OF
the United States. II is also recommended
that there be a compulsory school law,
and that the great tribal funds be broken
up into Individual holdings, the shares 10
he paid as rapidly as possible, so that
Indians yet unborn may not have BY in
heritanca a claim against the Government
II is almost impossible to discuss the
Indian question intelIigenuy without that
thorough knowledge OF Indian nature.
customs, and history which can hardly lie
| acquired in lifetime; but there are two
or three genera: principles which can be
| safely established. In the first place il
/ is best, broadly speaking, to treat an
/ Indian not as = child, but as a man. One
! reason Why Indians have not advanced
more rsridIy IN civilization has been that
1 they have worked against disabilities
which would be beyond the power of any
/ white man TO overcome.
/ Treaties with Indian tribes have again
/ and again been broken This has bred in
/ the savage a very reasonable distrust for
! anything that the white man PROPOSES
/ Where the European settlers, in pioneer
! days, kept their word to the natives as
I carefully as IL il had been given 10 the
! most powerful civilized monarch, they sell
dom had much trouble Where they
! cheated deceived, and robbed the Indians
they had to fight But it is not to he ex-
! pected that. after centuries of Intermittent
! warfare. varied with deception and rob
| berry, the average intelligent Indian Will
| be likely 10 take kindly TO the white man 3
| ideas and plans for his welfare or course
| there has been wrong on both sides, but
/ that does not alter the fact that the In
4 dian, on general principles. has very good
1 reason to look suspieiousIy on propositicLs
! that are made TO him for his good 1t
| is worth while. in all negotiations with him,
| TO get his point Of view. This has seldom
| been done. and TO the lack of sympathetic
and fair dealing, rather than to his saw
| age nature, the failure of the Indian to
ciYilize himself may often be attributed
Again. even when. in good faith. at
! temptS have been made to educate and
4 eivilize him they have been character
| lied by bad Judgment. OF what use is it,
| for example, to send a boy to Carlisle or
| Hampton. teach him trade. give him an
education, and then throw him back into
4 the midst of his tribe, without any chance
| to earn living? Anyone who knows any
thing Of the customs of Indians under
! stands how futile is the expectation that
! one, or even two or three, such children
1 will civilize the whole tribe. They are
! scarcely TO be blamed IT, after a year
! or two OF hopeless endeavor, they go back
| 10 the blanket They have been taught
| shoemaking. and sent among people who
do not wear shoes They are taught TO
wear clothes like white men, but not how
to earn these garments. Would it not have
been more sensible 10 encourage the man
! ufaeture of the old-time blankets. moe
casins. and pottery. which are pictur-
| esquely beautifui-the art of a primitive
people-Which are no longer made because
the old folk. who alone knew how TO make
them, are now dying out? Would not this
have condueed both TO the independence OF
the Indian and the sympathy between the
/ educated and the primitive type? The
Anglo-Saxon race is altogether too anxious
to make all the tribes OF the earth over
into its own likeness in every particular.
1
Nothing could be much finer than the
combination play which the Sultan of Tur-