Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-07-22
MAKING THE IN.
DIAN "A WORKER
(Continued from first page. !

Six different tribes, and their salaries
range from four hundred to six hund
red dollars year. This is nom
reservation school, one of TWENTY-FIVE
Institutions of the same sort, of which
the largest is at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
with capacity Of a thousand pupils.
Then comes Phoenix, Arizona, with
seven hundred pupils, aud Lawrence.
Kansas, with six hundred. Salem.
Oklahoma, each have an industrial
school with capacity of four hundred
students. There are eighty one board
ing schools on the different reservation
and one hundred and forty seven day
schools were in operation during the
past year. For the past ten years
there has been an increase in at
tendance of nearly thousand pupils
each year. There is a general in
spector of the whole system of indian
schools, and the post is no sinecure,
as is shown by the fact that the
present incumbent, Miss Estella Rell.
journeys more than twenty thousand
miles year, good deal of her travel
being through country where there is
no railway.
AS the destruction of the buffalo
was the beginning of the end of the
INDIANS endless wandering, so COM
pulSory school law would sound the
Keynote of his civilization.
The Problem Of Feeding the Indians.
Until comparatively recent period,
the Red Men were self supporting.
out time came when this was
changed when all the valleys of the
United States were settled; when the
buffalo were killed the hunting fields
plowed and the fishing grounds
nayigated. Then the problem of ex-
lstence was presented to the Indians
mind in new light. He had been
accustomed to wander at will over the
country In pursuit of game, which
Was plentiful. To confine him on q
reservation, often unproductive. and
leave MIN to provide for himself.
would have meant determination: SO
the government has provided for it's
wards by issuing rations.
Rations are now given twice month
TO more than forty five thousand
indians, OF whom nearly eighteen
thousand belong to the great Sioux
nation, mostly in North and South
Dakota. Their position differs. from
other indians in that the rations and
the conditions under which they shall
be supplied are specifically set forth
In a treaty made with the tribe.
Eacn or them receives more meal.
bread, coffee, sugar, beef and beans
IMAM ne really needs, costing about
nifty dollars a year for every man,
woman and child.
Inc Sioux agreement says that the
ratlons are to continue until the
indians are able to support them.
selves. Why should the Red Man
seek to become self supporting, when
the necessities OF life are assured him
without work? And if there is nc
reason for work, why should he learn
now to work? In other words, he las
no need for education. This state of
affairs is a stumbling block in the
path of indian educators. The alb
orlgnes are too free from personal
responsibilities. They are not under
the necessity Of entering into the
struggle for existance. There is a
vast deal OF talk about the indian
being civilized off the face of the
earth. One reads that he is fast dis
appearing, and that so on there will
be only traces of him. The indian
population of the United States is
about two hundred and sixty eight
thousand. and, as a matter of fact. if
has diminished very little since the
day OF Columbus, as nearly as can
be estimaded..
Millions Paid To The Red Men.
The cost to the government of the
rations furnished the Indians last,
year was in excess of one million two
hundred and thirty thousand dollars.
Besides that, there was paid them in
cash million and half of dollars.
Furthermore, they received as much
In interest on thirty-three millions
deposited in the treasury to the credit
OF the different tribes. They also
derive considerable incomes from land
leases and other sources.
The total expenditure of the govern
ment on account of the Indian
service, from 1889 to 1900, amounts to
more than three hundred and sixty
eight millions of dollars. More money
has been paid to extinguish Indian
land titles than to extinguish the
titles Of foreign nations. and the cost
OF our Indian wars has been equal to-
the cost OF all our foreign wars.
These figures make it plain that the
Indian has been very expensive ward
OF the government, and the sooner he
becomes self supporting the better
for our national finances. It has
been demonstrated that he is not
lacking in intelligence, and that he
can become good citizen. He has
often shown great capacity in making
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