The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-20
INDIANS IN OFFICE.
Red Men Have Filled Many Positions
With Ability.

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An examination Of the records of the
Indian office shows that red men have
filled official positions of importance with
signal ability. Indeed. the man who first
performed duties corresponding 20 those
of the Indian commissioner Of today was
a full hlooded Mohegan named Sampson
Ocean.
He was bora in 1923 and died in 1852. ana
was ordained q minister of the gospel ia
1883 While he neve- held an Official DC
sitiOn in the strict sense OF the Term ne
mad exclusive charge Of Indian missions
IN colonial times, thus occupying a posi-
tion measUrably corresponding TO that NJ
. commissioner Of ILJ'an affairs. He was
wei educated author IF various writings
ana was well received on the occasion 0f
a visit he paid 10 England
FernapS the most conspicuous figure
aInohS the North American indians who
nave held official positions was Tecumseh.
or Tecumtha. He was born I'm 1-sV and
killed az the battle Of the Thames in IS13
lie held positions under the British
crown as Dr1gadler general in command of
iull-blooded Shawnee.
Ihe Cherokee chief. Stand Waite born
5ol9, 0leQ lStf, mad a slight strain Of white
Diood lie was colonel. and afterward
DTlgadler general in the ccnfederste
Two regiments and three batteries. The
Cherokees are said 10 rank the highest
Iooay OF the Indian tribes IN the United
states They We're ordinarily one of The
FIVE Nations of the Atlantic coast. and
haQ made considerable advancement in
civilization Their native language is
similar TO the IrOQuOiS Though retarded
In progress BY their transfer. with other
Iuulans OF the Five Nations, TO a desc
ldJe country. new ana strange TO them
beyond the Mississippi. thew have al
Nanced more rapidly than any other tribe
IN this country Sequel also called
George Guess. full-blOOded Cherokee. in .
vented Tor his people an alphabet simDfe
Guage this tribe has developed q lItera-
lure peculiarly its own. Most of the
Chefokees have received an Indian edu-
cation, the Weather members Of the
tribe sending their children 70 the best
eastern schools. Their graceful native
orators have been heard on the floors of
congress, and newspapers edited bv fur
Dio0aSq Indians are printed IN English
and Cherokee.
General Grants secretary and officer 81
STAIR during the civil war. General civ
Parker, was a Seneca Indian Though nor
OF pure blood. born in 1873. ana educated
as q civil engineer. After the war he
was made assistant adjutant general and
was promoted. through various grades.
10 brlgadier general Of the United Stafes
army he was commissioner Of Indian
affairs. 1851
A present employee of the United States
indian office is Francis La Flesche. a
Ihree-quarter blood Omaha Representa-
tive Curtis Of Kansas is said TO b. a ono
quarter blood kaw. J. y B. Hewitt Of
the bureau of ethnOloey is about one
eighth TuscaTOra, while DR.. Eastman.
the agency physician at Pine Ridge :
u, Is three-QUarter blood Sioux or IA
kota- X is the policy of the Indian offica
TO employ Indians on the agencies and
reservations as far as possible. MANY are
employed as teamsters
President Diaz. the present president Of
Mexico and one Of the leading figures In
the history Of the republic. is common IN
dian. w Al