Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-22

The Indians as Farmers

In many instances the American In
dian has become an expert in farming
Within the past few years his stride
in that direction have been even re
narkabe. More Indians are taking t
the ploW than the general public real
ICES. Seldom does the young buck
in these days seek out the medicine
man and insist upon following in tn,
path Of his forefathers. Instead, ht
takes up the manners of the white peo-
pie and goes into the field to earn a liv.
ing. In ninety-nine cases out of every
| hundred the young Indian returning
from his school take up farming il
| preference to the professions. One may
travel thru any reservation in the west
during the growing season and he will
see hundreds of redskins at work ir
the fields. In Oklahoma Dakota Oh
New Mexico such 4 sight is very com.
mon. In the Indian territory. the home
CT the five civilized tribes, l have driven
| for miles thru vast fields of wheat cul-
| tivated by full bloods / found the peo-
pie hospitable, Industrious and pro-
gressive.
The government came to the conclu-
sion that manual labor would do moro
| toward civiliZing the red man than
anything else. as early as 1887. when
the first lands We're allotted to them. L
was then believed that the proper way
10 go about teaching Indians to farm
was to place them on quarter-section
Of good land, saying, You must get 4
GOOD living out of this or starve" In a
few years the untutored savage was
Il 90,
fight. In most cases he preferred the
latter Some of the most atrocious
crimes along the border were COM
mitted by Indians who had been placed
on tracts of land and told to work o..
starve. Then the government learned
that the Indian should be taught. His
ability to grasp the farming business
vas indeed of slow development But
after years of patient teaching the gov
eminent has succeeded in making good
farmers of majority of reservation
Indians. This course is the shorest cut to
civilization. In the Sioux country. once
n battle-ground of the widest Indians
Of the western plains. one now sees
forms we'll developed and raising good
crops. Red men who have fought in
deadly combat now march stoically be-
hind the plow and harrow.
In the United States today there are
$4,000 Indians who earn their living by
farm work. Last year they sold their
farm products for s1.40S.S65, over and
above the expense of living. This was
nearly $40 per capita. which is very
good, considering the fact that 80 per
cent of them had never before farmed
Is, M
before done a days work. Some have
been raising their own crops for five or
six years. One farmer, Kiowa in Ok
raised wheat making twenty
six bushels to the acre, and corn run
ring from sixty to seventy bushels per
acre this year. He titled the field alone,
except in harvesting time. His income
from the crop was $4,000. His farm is
Il model after which many white set
tiers have patterned. Nevertheless, it
is TO be confessed that he retains his in
herited thirst for liquor, and at times
he remains drunk for weeks, while the
farm work is neglected. He even wears
a blanket in winter and attends the
medicine dances after harvest
The Improvement of the Indian is
slow. He can not advance much in one
year; indeed, five seasons do not show
much of a change. To make a good
farmer out of a young warrior. l have
been told by observers, requires no less
than seven years. While there are 49,
100 Indians who earn their own living,
md 1896 i've on allotments. There
have been allotted, since 1887. 6,736504 !
acres of land to Indians. OF these, 343,-
951 acres are under cultivation; 100000 |
,cres have been leased to cattlenen and |
White farmers. The remainder lies idle.
the land to whites is one of the
wills of the Indian system; for it allows
hose who should work to escape it. a
.lause in the laws governing leases says
hat If the Indian is unable to work the
and he may lease it and pocket the
proceeds. The word inability" has
,een loophole thru which many have
escaped work. They live on the lease
money and whatever else they can per-
uade the Indian agent to donate them.
Another thing which keeps n good
many from working in the fields is the
alton system. Last year the govern
nent fed 1920 Indians, paying for food ,
wen to them about s1,250000. OF this
umber fully two-thirds We're able
odied men and women who coud make
seir own living, but who had
OF yet become started in
arm work In a few years from
ow they will have been persuaded
, enter farm life and earn their own
BOD 1t will require much patience
nd many kind words. There are to-
ay $1,000 Indians in the United States s
T whom $4,000 do not work. Only n
err cent of the entire Indian population
arms n living. This is quite an i'm
rovement over five years ago, when
OF per cent was capable of shifting
ong in the world. A gain of nearly
lie per cent annually is quite good in
eed There are today $3.50 members
the five civilized tribes in Indian ter 2
tory These are the Cherokees, Creeks,
hoctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles.
hey retain their land in severalty, v
1t it is to be allotted to them shortly.
asst year they earned $1,500,000 from
e sale of cattle alone. They are self
lpporting, of course, and if added to .
e reservation Indians who manage for
they would make the total
self-supporting Indians reach 1874
O..
It's costs the government from four "a
five million dollars every year 10 ed
ate the Indians. The appropriation
ems to grow larger every year, not VA
outstanding the Indians are on the de-
ease. Last year 100000 We're spent
the Indians, about 1896 to each in
vidual. 1t costs about $3.50 to teach
Indian the art of farming. He