The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-03-30
HE MUST WORK OR srARvs.
Uncle Sans" Future Policy Toward
His Indian Charge.
Special to Daily Leader.

Special to Daily Leader
Muskogee. !. T., March 3O.-The In
dian question has resolved itself into
two alternatives. Either the Indlar
must be educated and take his place
in the struggle for existence alons
with the white man. or he must be
maintained as ward OF the govern
menr at government expense. a crric
to the tourist until he dies natural
national death, the last survivor OF
the aboriginal inhabitants cf America
The commissioner Of Indian affairs
has elected that the fate of the In
dian shall be the former course. which
in a measure explains why S3161. ass
was spent last year for the support
of Indian schools He believes that
There is innate ability in the race and
that rudimentary education and con.
stant environment Of educa ed whites
will bring this out and make the In.
dian an intelligent and thrifty citizen.
The Indian appropriation bill car
ries an item of 100000 for the esiab-
lishment Of schools in Indian territory.
This Is for a rural school system in ad.
Idition to the Indian national schools
| The proposed statehood measure pro
vides a fund Of million dollars for a
school system for Indian territory
when it comes Ia as state with Ok
lahoma. Oklahoma has a separate
school fund even larger than that In
Indian territory this is regarded as the
most important item in the entire bill.
The First Thing to Learn.
The Indian needs practical educa-
tion-the art of making a living from
the acres allotted to him under the
most adverse circumstances. After
hat he must be taught to work An
effort is being made to instill in him
the idea that he must work or starve
Indian officials who have made a study
Of this problem say that this will elm.
mate the Indian. but that it will create
a man. He must be protected only so
far as Will give him confidence in him.
self. and nature and civilized condi-
tions will do the rest.
OF the FIVE tribes the Cherokees
have undoubtedly made more advance
rlsnt along educational lines than any
81 he others. When they lived in
Georgia 1t is an in;ere-ting fact to
know that before the territory sur
rounding them had been made into
states, these Indians had adopted a
constitution making offices elective,
passed strict temperance laws. ac-
knowledged a Christian religion and
abolished polygamy They were the
only Indian nation to invent an alpha
bet Of their own and the first TO estab-
lish a school system. In the early
days a their wes' 'ern history they set
up a printing press and started a news
paper which is maintained to this
day. Last year 100 teachers were EN-.
played in the Cherokee nation and g.
1877 pupils were enrolled. at cost to
the nation of st10,S1s,
Schools Of Other Tribes.
In the Creek nation there are nine
boarding schools. in addition to the
day schools in rural neighborhoods, |
six of which are exclusively for negro |
and oilers admitting them The en-
rolIment for the year was 1854 and
the cost Of schools was $73,35S.
In the Choctaw nation there are ten
boarding schools supported by the pu-
pills enrolled, there having been 447
OF them last year. There are 175 day
schools. in which are enrolled 800. |
Choc aw children, who are being edu-
Gated at a cost of $l19.56l annually.
In the Chickasaw nation the schools /
are mere inadequate than in any Of
the other nations The Chlckasaws
control their own school expenses. !
The counril often makes no appropri- /
a ion for schools, but permits the
school au'horities to incure indebted /
ness regardless. Of their inability to /
pay This has gone on until even (
now there is a special session of the I
council on 10 provide money for school .
teachers who have been holding war
rants. that the nation would not pay /
for Two years. The enrolment ia this
nation last year was only 1.193, but
.he expense was $119.561. or more thaa