The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-11-07
INDIANS AT l I. Z;
The Rowing Bands of Chippewas Being
Crowded by the White Settlers =.
.sf4sz at Mile Laos Lake. -, =
The Red Men Unpleasant Neighbors
and Not in Touch With Civili-
= %z3# zatiOn'S Influences.

R.
| What of the Indians? This is the
tall-absorbing question that will en-
gross the attention of President Roose-
welt who intends to make some radical
suggestions as to the future care of the
red man ma in his forthcoming message.
There Is an opinion among many that
the time has come to turn the red man
out into the pastures of civilization and
let him take up the white mans bur-
den and conform more to the ways of
civilization. The days of well-balanced
ratlons and distribution of coin at
regular intervals to perpetuate an old
custom and to enrich the Golfers of
few traders seems to be passing. There
will be an attempt to induce the red
children of the forest to take up farm
ing ina more practical sense and be-
come more self-sustaining. A Mime.
apolis Journal correspondent who has
been looking over White Earth reser-
| vatlon seems to think that most of the
Indians on that reservation would be
willing to have the reservation opened
and adopt some of the white mans
ways of getting along in the world.
The aged and intirm Indians could be
taken care of at government hospitals
or Indian homes and the children edu-
Gated as now at the Indian schools.
But the Indian would be induced to
take some land and farm for himself.
If the government could adopt a sys-
TEN Of this character it would prove a
good thing, but if the Indians should
not feel more inclined to adapt them
selves to the ways Of the white man
any better than the Mile Laos lake
Indians the process of "Yankeeizing"
them will be slow indeed. There are
still lingering around the old and his
toric lake between POO and 800 Indians
who have remained on their old hunt
ing grounds ever since the reservation
| wa8 thrown open to settlement and as
the ssttleiss come in and develop the
country and the lines Of civilization
are drawn, closer and closer the Indian
becomes more or less of a nuisance.
That the Indian has rights that entitle
him to great consideration cannot be
denied. and how to assimilate him to
the ways and conditions of the white
man is great study. Through some
Indifference on the part of the govern
ment the Mile Laos Indians have been
allowed to remain around the lake liv.
ing nomadic life and now that the
land is being taken up close to his wig
wan and old time haunts there is a
feeling on the part of the settlers that
the government should take its wards
at the lake and provide for them in
some manner. The Chippewas have
been friends to the whites and there is
considerable feeling and sympathy for
them: but to-day they stand in the way
of progress and the development of the
lake country and are proving annoying
in many ways. Dirty Indian villages
are not pleasant thing to have beside
a summer home at the lake, and there
are instances where the white settlers
have been subjected to assaults by
drunken Indians. Not long since at
Isle John Kennedy who had trouble
with the Indians when he moved onto
his place, was approached in the field
one day by a drunken Indian and Ken
nedy was obliged to knock the Indian
down with a potato digger. This same
Indian attempted to break into the
house of Edmund II. Lewis at Isle
while Mr.. Lewis was away from home
and Mrs. Lewis who was alone with
two little children had to barricade the
doors and windows to keep the Indian
out. Chas. Malone who keeps a band
of sheep over on his island at Isle. had
fifteen head stolen during the past sum-
mer. 1t is true that few bad Indians
do not make all the Indians bad but so
long as the Indians are allowed to re-
main around the lake in their present
condition; there will be more or less
trouble. There is no land for them
there and they should be taken onto
the reservations and cared for. !" = - =
= First Touch of Winter.
+ There was a change in the weather
last Saturday that made the Oldest in
habitant scratch his head for preced-