The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-04


suit of their affairs. and the mainten-
ance of the dignity of the nation abroad
combine to make it essential that our
consuls should be men of character.
knowledge, and enterprise. 1t is true
that the service is now, in the main,
efficient, but a standard of excellence
cannot be permanently maintained until
the principles set forth in the bills here
tofore submitted to the Congress on this
subject are enacted into law.
Dealing With the Indians.
In my judgment the time has arrived
when we should definitely make up our
minds to recognize the Indian as an In
dividual and not as a member of tribe.
The General Allotment Act is a mighty
pulverizing engine to break up the
tribal mass. 1t acts directly upon the
family and the individual. Under it's
provisions some sixty thousand Indians
have already become citizens of the
United States. We should now break up
the tribal funds, doing for them what
allotment does for the tribal lands
that is, they should be divided into in
dividual holdings. There will be q tran
sition period during which the funds will
in many cases have to be held in trust.
This is the case also with the lands A
stop should be Put upon the indiscrimi-
| nate permission to Indians to lease their
allotments. The effort should be steadi-
| ly to make the Indian work like any
other man on his own ground. The mar
riage laws of the Indians should be made
| the same as those of the whites.
| In the schools the education should
| be elementary and largely Industrial.
| The need of higher education among the
| Indians Isl very, very limited. On the
| reservations care should be taken to try
| TO suit the teaching to the needs of the
| particular Indian. There is no use in
| attempting to induce agriculture in a
| country suited only for cattle raising,
| where the Indian should be made a
stock grower. The ration system, which
is merely the corral and the reservation
| system, is highly detrimental to the Ia
dams. 1t promotes beggary perpetuates
! pauperism and stiles industry. 1t is an
| effectual barrier to progress. 1t must
/ continue to a greater or less degree as
long as tribes are herded on reservations
and have everything in common The
! Indian should be treated as an individual
like the white man. During the change
of treatment inevitable hardships will
occur every effort should be made to
! minimize these hardships but we should
I not because of them hesitate to make
| the change. There should be a contnu-
Gus reduction in the number of agencies.
| In dealing with the aboriginal races few
things are more important than to pre-
serve them from the liquor traffic. We
1 a al m
Indian tribes from this evil. Wherever by
| international agreement this same end
can be attained as regards races where
we do not possess exclusive control,
every effort should be made to bring it
about.
l bespeak the most cordial support
| from the Congress and the people for the
st. Louis Exposition to commemorate
the one hundredth anniversary of the
| Louisiana Purchase. This purchase was
the greatest instance of expansion in our
history. 1t definitely decided that we
were to become a great continental re-
public. by far the foremost power in the
Western Hemisphere. 1t is one of three
or four great landmarks in our history
the great turning points in our develop
ment. 1t is eminently fitting that all
our people should join with heartiest
good will in concentrating It, and the
citizens Of st. Louis, of Missouri, of all
the adjacent region, are entitled 10
every aid in making the celebration a
| noteworthy event in our annals. We
earnestly hope that foreign nations will
! appreciate the deep interest our country
| takes in this Exposition, and our view
of it's Importance from every standpoint
| and that they will participate in secu, ing
its success. The National Government
should be represented by full and COM
plete set of exhibits.
The people of Charleston, with great
| energy and civic spirit, are carrying on
an exposition which will continue
throughout most of the present session
of Congress. l heartily commend this
exposition to the good will of the peo-
pie. 1t deserves all the encouragement
that can be given it. The managers, of
the Charleston Exposition have requested
the Cabinet officers to place thereat the
Government exhibits which have beer at
Buffalo, promising to pay the necessary
expenses. | have taken the RESPONSE
bility of directing that this be done, for
feel that 1T is due to Charleston to help
her in her praiseworthy effort. In my
opinion the management should not be
required to pay all these expenses. /
earnestly recommend that the Congress
appropriate at once the small sun, neces-
sary for this purpose.
The Pan American Exposition at Buf
falo has just closed. Both from the in
dustrial and the artistic standpoint this
exposition has been in high degree
creditable and useful, not merely TO
Buffalo but to the United States The
terrible tragedy of the Presidents as
sassination interfered materially with its
being a financial success. The exposition
was peculiarly in harmony with the trend
of our public policy, because it repre-
scented an effort to bring into closer touch
all the people of the Western Hemisphere
and give them an increasing sense of
unity. Such an effort was a genuine SER
vice to the entire American public