Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-26
INDIANS RENDERED sELF-supPoRTlNe.

! demanded.
/ INDIANS RENDERED SELF.SuPPORTiNG
Readers of the Times Republican
| may recall a recent communication
from Mr. George f. Thayer, who, after
a visit to and weeks work in and
/ about the Tama Indian camping
ground, wrote in criticism of the reser-
walton system as one productive of idle
ness and general decentralization. His
communication brought out sharp re-
/ tort from Indian Agent Malin. who
sought to produce different impress
views he presented, nor as severe as
some others. D. A. Sanford, of Bridge
/ port, Okla. who has been for eight
| years missionary among the Chey
/ enne and Arapahoe Indians, declares
that the Indian service "is degrading
and debauching the Indian" is making
! home, and is killing the younger Indi-
ans, who go to government boarding
schools, where they are carried off by
| scrofula and consumption. He asserts
that III II was the purpose of the gov
eminent to degrade and debaueh the
Indian to prevent him from becoming
! conceive any more effective method.
The money payment as made thru an
Indian agency, is the most mischievous.
Idleness and vagrancy and gambling
and whisky are sure to follow"
Col r. II. Pratt, of the Carlisle school,
says that Mr. Sanford does not over
state the conditions.
However, Mr.. Sanford points out a
remedy. that of making them self-sup-
porting, and says: Settled homes are
what these Indians need. But II is very
difficult for these Indians to maintain
settled homes under present govern
ment methods. Rightly treated, many
of them would be glad to establish set
tied homes
This is just what the government is
now aiming to do, as shown by the re-
port of the commissioner of Indian af-
fairs
"The extent and demoraiizing ef-
fects of the ration system evil" says
the commissioner, explaining his pol
Icy of abolishing that system, were
generally recognized and universally
condemned, except, perhaps, by mis-
taken philanthropy, which, ignoring
the natural law that man must earn
his living by the sweat of his brow.
would exempt the Indian from labor
and carry him upward ON fowery beds
of ease
In the effort to effect the change, the
commissioner says the individual has
been dealt with instead of the tribe.
The result has been favorable and the
success Of the plan is predicted.
The report on Ind! ans says: In my
last annual report was shown that
some 1000 Indians lad been dropped
from the ration rolls during the previ-
Gus year. Since then others have been
dropped, so that the total now numbers
over $4,000, all of whom are wholly self
supporting Instead of rations and
clothing, employment has been given
them on reservations in building roads,
dams, reservoirs for storage of water
for irrigation, and other occupations
suitable to their conditions. Thus
beginning at self-s'apport has been
made by a respectable number who
never worked before, and while prog
ress will doubtless be slow, yet the ex-
ample of these will eventually have
good effect"
When the government succeeds in
breaking UP tribal relations and estab
fishing the Indians in homes, the In
dian problem will disappear and the old
saying that "the only good Indian is a
dead one' will be a proverb of the
past.
IOWA OPINIONS AND NOTES.
The Stanhope Mail suggests that
THANKSGIVING day docs not necessarily