The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-27
INDIANS And HAIR.
Commissioner Jones Declares There
Will Be No Trouble.
HE EXPLAINS HIS ORDER FURTHER
OF Bona Eide Settlers in
Forest Reserves.

FOREST RESERVES.
Fron, The Jomrs.az Bureau. Room IS. Post
Washington.
Washington, JAM 27-Indian Commits |
sioner Jones says that his circular re-
quiring Indians to refrain from painting
their faces and to keep their hair cut
misconstrued in many quarters. He also
says there is not going to be any trouble,
as predicted by j. B. Bottineau in his in
teryieW in T h e j O urna !. I
The order relates principally to In
dian youths who have been educated at
the government Schools said the COM
missioner. MANY of them, upon their
return to their reservations return to the
native dress and habits. They have been
taught better at great expense to the gov
eminent, and we do not propose to let
them return to barbaric ways if we can
help it. If they insist upon wearing their
hair long and in painting their faces, they
will be deprived of whatever gratuities
they would get if they followed the civil
lied methods. We do not propose to aid /
in the perpetuation of the old Indian GUS
toms and have taken this means OF stamp
ing them out SO far as possible. Agents
will use their best endeavors to have the
older Indians adopt the short hair and
clean-face methods Of the whites. The
old men think they cannot properly cele-
brate their feasts nor indulge in their
dance unless they are clothed in blankets
and have their hair decorated and their
faces streaked with paint If we can pre-
vent them from doing these things it will
have the effect of disseminating their
dances and other ,barbaric customs. The
Indian office does not propose to use force
in carrying out this policy, but will use
all methods that can be legitimately used
to bring about the civilization of the In
dian"
Pine Ridge Instance.
Indian Inspector jerks, who was in
charge of the Pine Ridge agency in South
Dakota for a time about a year ago, was
in the commissioners Office at the time.
He said that it is rule at many agencies
that no Indian could enter the agency
buildingun unless he was CARRIED in the dress
of the white man. He cited the case OF
an obstreperous old fellow named Kicking
Bear, who had given the agent much
trouble in past years, but who is now one
of the most tractable on the reservation
His reformation was brought about by the
enforcement of the@rule. Kicking Bear
came up to the agency clad in a blanket
and the other accessories of the blanket
costume He was told that he could not
enter the agency until he had put On
suit of white mems clothes well, give
them to me-" he said. He was given
new suit. After he got them on he was
pleased as Punch, and they seemed to
have the effect of tanning his turbulent
spirit and he went around advising MS
friends to go to the agency and get
suit Of the white mans clothes so that
they might look like gentlemen. Inspector
jerks believes that the general abandon
ment of the wearing of long hair and the
painting Of faces on occasions or cere-
mony will have about the same ERECT on
tribes as the exchange of the blanket did
for Kicking Bear.
Settlers in Forest Reserves.
The senate committee on public build
ings and grounds has favorably reported
bill introduced by Senator Gamble OF
South Dakota for the relief Of bona fde
set tiers in forest reserves which Will
benefit many settlers who went on lands
afterward included in these reserves, and
for which they have been unable to get
patents. The bill was introduced upon
the recommendation of Land Commission
err Hermann. Various forest reserves have
been created throughout the western
states by presidential proclamation in
pursuance Of the act Of March 3, 1891. The
act protected the right Of the actual bona
fide settlers upon territory that might be
set aside for forest reserves, provided
settlement in such cases should have been
made prior to the date of the createion
of the reserve; but permitted no settle
ments to be made after the proclamation
of the president.
The territory appropriated for these re-
serves had been in many instances open
to settlement for several years. The tim
Der in such reservations is found Uniform
ly growing upon the mountains, while the
gulches and narrow valleys are gener-
ally devoid of timber. These valleys are
commonly fertile and present desirable
opportunities to settlers. In these val
leys hundreds Of settlers had established
their homes prior to the date of the crea-
tion of the reserves. In many localities
the lands were unsurveyed at the time of
the creation of the reserves so that the
settlers had had no opportunity to make
their entries at the land Offices, as the
law provides that no entry for public
land shall be made until it is surveyed
and the plats filed in the local office.
Here is where the complication came in.
The settlers could not be recognized as
such in the absence of surveys, but when
the survey had been made no entry could
be filed in the land office, as the settlers
had no legal status before the land Office
when the reserves were created. The pas
sage of this bill will enable these settlers
to make entry and otherwise comply with
the general land laws and those relating
to the holding of lands in forest reserves.
Additional Federal Judge.
The Minnesota delegation, rumors to
the contrary notwithstanding, has taken
no action regarding the additional federal
judge bill. No meeting Of the delegation
has thus far been held since the session
opened, and the question Of when to pre-
sent such bill, If at all, has not been
considered by the members informally. 1t
is said that the situation is being con-
trolled largely by Judge Morris of Duluth,
who is candidate for appointment when
the bill becomes law. The house mem
bers are friendly to his candidacy, and
will consult him before anything is done.
Morris will not be available for appoint
ment until March 4, 1903, the close of the
ffty-seventh congress, and there is no
reason why the bill should be pressed at
this early time. Were it to become a law
during the present session 1t would be
wholly out of the question to carry the
appointment over until Morris is ready to
accept it.
Will Exposition Be Postponed:
It is believed in this city that there
will be postponement of the st. Louis
exposition until 1904, notwithstanding the
assertions of exposition officials to the
contrary. Several months ago in these
dispatches it was predicted that the ex-
position could not possibly be got ready
forth at some length. Briefly they may
be stated again St. Louis, when she be-
gan to plan for an exposition, figured that
congress would make its appropriation Of
S. OO0, 900 at the first session of the fifty
sixth congress two years ago, and her
plans were made accordingly. But instead
of making the appropriation at the first