Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-05-04
EA0LETS.

The assertion that the number of In
dian children attending school has
doubled since 1887 and that the mum.
Der of Indian children in and out of
school Is steadily increasing hardly
squares with that theory of the gradual
extinction of the red men which has
been often questioned of late years. 1t
tends rather to support the claim that
these much-commiserated denizens of
the forests and the plains have been
saved from themselves by compul-
sorry peace, so that they are perhaps
more numerous under the white mans
rule than they were when their princi-
pal occupation was scalp-hunting. All
| the earlier Indian statistics are mere
gucsswork. Parkman, who made the
closest researches into the history OF
the Hurons for tine purpose of his mon
ume ntal, work on the French in Amer
lea. made no pretenscs toward an ac-
curate statement of their numbers. He
said that they were variously estimated
at from 10000 TO 10000. but added that
| the former figure was the more reason
able of the two. In estimating the
population of the 1rouuois he Is equally
cautious. merely hazardng an infer
ence that wheT the five nations were at
the height of their power they did not
have as many as 1000 fighting men.
During the period covered by his mar.
rative the Hurons were almost cxtermi.
mated by the Iroquois. and such de.
| struction of tribe by tribe was not I'M
common. In fact, any great increase
of population was impossible amid the
conditions of Indian life. and the early
| explorers spent much of their time In
IN uninhabited wilderness. The sub.
ject Is glanced ut in the last report of
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
| where there Is q table giving estimates
of the population of Indians In the Uni.
ted States from 1850 to 1900. The Com.
missioner says that prior to the year
1850 only small reliance can be placed
upon the figures. and this Is obvious
after the briefest examination. For
they jump from 10000 to Al ,O36 be.
tween 100 and 1870 and drop to 120,.
$50 In 1925. The census report of 1850
gave an enumeration of 4OO,1G4, hut
the fact that there Is u shrinkage to
3l4.G22 within five years makes It prob.
able that we still have to do with rough
estimates. 1t IL only since all the
tribes have been corralled that 1t has
been possible to arrive at anything like
accuracy. and even of late there have
been some noticeable discrepancies.
The census report Of 1880 put the mum.
Der of Indians ut 80 .534; the report of
the Indian Office for the same year
made the figures 256, In 1900 the re.
turn of the census was 24S,253. and. nc.
cording to the Indian office. there was
an increase to 2I2,O23 by 1900, not In.
Guiding some $4,000 persons who have
lost their tribal identity. The calcula.
ton ut this day should be pretty near
the truth. and II there are more than a
quarter of n million Indians within the
United States to-day the probabilities
are that these aborigines are numeri.
cally as strong as they were three or
four centuries ago.
~6A
Rural free delivery or the mail Is the
most popular innovation that the Post
office Department has introduced In re
cent years. as is shown by the attitud,
Of Congress toward the appropriation
Instead Of trying to cut 1t down. Their,
Is manifested a general disposition 4
increase II. The only reason why |
has not been increased Is that the Post
master General stated In his report tina
S3.5O0OOO was all that can be judlcious
ly and economically applied to rura
free delivery during the next fisca
year. The different members Of Con
gress who spoke on the bill were eX
tremely laudatory In their remarks con
corning It's utility. One of the mos
interesting features of their remark
was what they said about its rapi,
growth wherever 1t had been estah
lished. 1t seems that in nearly all case
the volume of postal business increase,
NJ such rapid rate that there was al
encouraging prospect that 1t woul
prove self.supporting and that in som
cases it would yield profit to the Pos,
office Department. Representative
Butler. of Pennsylvania. reported o.
the experience in his district with rura
free delivery as follows: perhaps Il
my district there is the most remarka
bic showing in the operations of thi
system Of any district In the country
Two years ago the department appoin,
cd five rural carriers who started frOI
my town of West Chester and served
population of 1000 people. or SO fam
lies. The district Is entirely an agricu
tural one. In the first month of til
service there We're 800 pieces Of ma
handled. Last October the number 0
! pieces handled was $1,000. For tn
benefit Of my friend from Chicago, MI
Mann. who says the big offices pay tn
expenses of rural free delivery, l wan
! to say that the service in my distric
! has paid its own way and turned int
the treasury about $1,000 profit in
year" This showing in q distriC
} where the service has been establishe
for period of two years is significant
1t Is apparent that the service Is apprt
ciated by the residents Of the rural di,
tricts and that they avail themselves G
, it very largely after they have becom
: acquainted with 1t. 1t Is not likely tina
1t will ever be Il burden to the POstofiic