The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-11-07
Further Exposition of Indian
Commissioners Ideas
TO END ALL VEXATTONS
A Certain Amount of Land Should
Be Given Every Indian
OPEN THE REST FOR SETTLEMENT
Useful Method by Which Spanish
American War Pension Claims
Are Lessened.

Bsss E.e, VITO, TO- H"''""' A00'' g. f'''
Washing a, No INDIAN Commits
sione9 % is artily in favor of the
plan outlined in he Journars spec
ial correspondence from White Earth res
ervation for the civilization of the Chip
pewas of Minnesota and the settlement
of the so-called Indian problem" He
said to-day:
The plan outlined there is just the one
that should be carried out. The only way
to settle the questions that have been vex-
ing this office from time immemorial is to
give each member of the tribe certain
amount of land and then let him shift for
himself. When he finds that he can get no
more rations from the government the In
dian will then get down to hard work, which
will, in the end, prove his salvation. After
the land is allotted, let the remainder be
opened to settlement. The white men who
will go in there will hire the Indian to
break their lands and will in that way teach
him practical farming. He can then go
on his own allotment, till his own land and
become self-supporting, as he should be.
In speaking of the Chippewas in this way
as whole, l do not mean to say that they
are all shiftless. AS matter of fact, only
are actually lazy and of the blanket" va
riety. Many o. the Indians on the White
Earth reservation who have allotments are
rapidly becoming rich men. They have
learned to farm and are self-supporting, law
abiding citizens. The shiftless minority will
continue to be shiftless so long as the gov
ernment will support them and give them
their annuities-smaIl it is true but some
thing which helps to continue them as vaga-
bonds. If these fellows found that they
must work in order TO get bread, they would
buckle down to it AS it is they do some
work, logging, ETC., which gains them some
money. This, l fear, they spend in riotous
living, or, rather, for whisky, which makes
them riotous and ugly and breeds discomfort.
Another factor which helps nightly in
solving the Indian problem is the railroad
After the land in these reservations is opened
to settlement. the railroads will naturally
build branches all through them to transport
the products to the great commercial centers.
AT first, perhaps, the settlement will be slow,
but when the railroads once enter these
reservations, white men will follow and take
up the land. All that region, which is now
tied up so that it cannot be fully developed
could be brought to the highest state of cul-
tivation. There is enough rich land, the
finest l have ever seen, in the Indian reser-
yations in Minnesota, to support $4,000
people.
No better illustration Of the success of the
plan outlined in The Journal could
be cited than northern Wisconsin. In that
section the land which was once included
in Indian reservations was allotted and
thrown open to settlement. The Indians
readily assimilated the white mans ideas
and habits. and they are now in a high state
or civilization. No one ever hears of the
Indian problem in Wisconsin NOWADAYS,
while once it was vexing a question as it
is in Minnesota to-day.