The Irish standard., 1903-02-14
THE INDIAN SCHOOLS.
Senator vest's. Grand Tribute to
the JeSuitS.


the most interesting and picturesque
figures in the Senate, Senator Vest,
will retire to private life. a brilliant
statesman, a forceful debater, Il man
sans peur ct sans reproche, he has
been a masterly factor in public life
since 1860, and in the United States
Senate since 1879. He is a native of
kentucky, where he was born i'll 1880.
There have been few greater orators
in the Senate than he, and his retire
ment is owing to his advanced age
and failing health, says the Catholic
Columbian.
Senator Vest earned tine undying
gratitude of the Catholics of the coun-
try by his efforts in behalf Of the
Catholic Indian schools, and in his
splendid tributes to the worth Of these
schools in his congressional utter
ances. Some Of these utterances are
the most notable in the history of the
church in this country, considering all
things.
The subject which called for Sena-
tor Vests eloquent defense was the
matter of abrogating the appropria-
tions for the contract schools, among
them many under Catholic direction.
The fact was brought out ut one point
that if the contracts were abolished
where there were no government
schools, the children in the contract
schools would be left unprovided for.
Senator Teller suggested that the
government rent the buildings as the
withdrawal Of the contracts would
necessitate the close of the schools.
To this senator Pettigrew made an
swer that he did not think the Cath
Olic church would rent to the govern
ment; that they had never done that.
Speaking for the appropriation, SEN
ator Vest said:
II have said that am Protestant.
I was reared in the old Scotch Pres
byterian church; my father was an
elder in it, and my earliest impress
sions were that the Jesuits had horns
and hoofs and tails, and that there
was faint tinge Of sulphur in the
circumambient air whenever one
crossed your path. Some years ago
I was assigned by the Senate to duty
upon the committee on Indian affairs,
and was assigned by the committee,
of which Mr.. Dawes was then the
very Jealous chairman, to examine the
Indian schools in Wyoming and Mon
tana. did SO under great difficulties
and with labor which | could not now
physically perform. ! visited every
one of them. crossed that great
buffalo expanse of country, where you
can now see only the wallOws and
went to all these schools. l wish to
say now what have said before III
the Senate, and it is not the popular
side of this question by any means,
that l did not see in all my journey,
which lasted for several weeks, u sin
gle school that was doing any cduca-
tiOnal work unless it was under the
control of the Jesuits. l did not see
a single government school, especially
these day schools, where there was
any work done ut all.
Something has been said here
about the difference between enroll
ment and attendance. l found day
schools with $500 Indian children en-
rolled and not ten in attendance, eX-
cept on meat days, as they called it,
when beeves were killed by the agent
and distributed to the tribe. Then
there was full attendance. l found
schools where there were old, broken
down preachers and politicians re-
ceiving $1,000 year and n house to
live in for the purpose Of conducting
these Indian day schools, and when
cross examined them, as did in ev-
cry instance, found that their actual
attendance was about three to five In
the hundred of the enrolment. l do
not care what reports are made, for
they generally come from interested
parties. You cannot educate the chill
dren with the day schools"
The Senator then showed how thor
oughly he had studied the question
by explaining the strenuous attempts
made by the early Jesuits, Father De
Smet and companions, to educate the
Indians in day school. He told how
they were obliged to abandon this
plan after twenty years, and adopt the
one which they have made SO success
full, the boarding schools.
1.-THE Jesuits have elevated the In
dian wherever they have been allowed
to do so without interference of big
otry and fanaticism and the coward
ice of insectivorous politicians, who
are afraid of the A. p. A. and the
votes that can be cast against them in
their district and states. They have
made him a Christian, and above even
that have made him workman able
to support himself and those depend
ent upon him. Go to the Flathead
Reservation, in Montana, and look
from the cars of the Northern Pacific
railroad, and you will see the result of
what Father De Smet and his assoc
iates began and what was carried on
successfully until the A. p. A. and the