Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-11


Creeks 20 oSo
Seminoles ....-..-.---.-..- ...--.'--'- o'oo'o
These funds draw interest at and per
cent per annum, and the proceeds are now
applied to various purposes for the public
welfare, including the support or SCHOOLS,
but when the tribal relations are dissolved
next March, unless Congress lnterVenes, the
principal In each case will be Withdrawn
from the treasury and distributed pro rata
among the men, women and children or the
several tribes, leaving nothing whatever for
educational or charitable purposes. The
school system of the territory Will be COM
pletely dissolved. Every school now sup
ported by the tribes will be abolished, and
Congress has made no provision Tor other
means of education. The Indian commit
tees of Congress seem to have overlooked
the educational needs of the people en-
tirely. If territorial form of government
Is adopted, there will be no provision what
ever for schools, and very little money can
be raised by taxation to support them, be-
cause the lands which have been allotted
among the members of the Five Tribes are
not taxable as long as they remain In the
hands of the original owners.
In the bill admitting Oklahoma and In
dian Territory into the Union jointly as one
state there is an appropriation of ten mil
lions of dollars from the treasury of the
United States as a permanent school fund.
This would, doubtless, be sufficient to pro-
vide all the schools that may be necessary.
but 1t seems to be the height of folly for
Congress to distribute the trust funds
among THESE CnIIQTen, WHO Will waste II I'LL
mediately, and then make an appropria-
ton to pay for their schools.
School Question Not New.
This school question Is not new. 1t has
been brought to the attention of Congress
again and again. and on several occasions
both houses have taken notice of it. but
have done nothing practical. In 1901 they
asked the Secretary of the Interior to re-
n1o Of RI q
tain a system Of free schools for the en-
tire territory, and Mr. Frank c. Church
hill made an investigation and submitted
report, which was laid before the House
of Representatives in 1902. but no attention
was paid to It, In 1904 the Secretary OF
the Interior was again called upon for a
report on the same subject, and Prof. ]. II.
Hollander Of John Hopkins University was
sent down here to study the situation and
suggest a solution of the problem. Con-
gress at it's last session placed 800 600 in
the hands of the Secretary of the Interior.
which has been expended In the support OF
300 neighborhood schools in the rural dis
tricts, with an average of sixty scholars
each, and this year x15o.O0O has been appro-
priated for the same purpose. but this sum
is grossly insufficient. 1t is estimated that
there are between sixty and seventy thou
sand children of school age In the terri
tory. Those who are fortunate enough to
live in towns and cities are well provided
FOR, and occasionally throughout the terri
tory there is a church school, supported by
some religious denomination. which white
children are allowed to attend, but most
OF the mission schools are for Indians and
negroes.
The superintendent of education and Pro-
lessor Hollander estimate that not less than
S450000 year is necessary to provide free
schools for all the white children of the
territory, and when the tribal governments
are dissolved on the 4th of March next
about 1900 Indian and negro children will
have to be taken care of.
Inexcusable Oversight.
It was an inexeusabfe oversight, for
which eyeryhafiy who had ANYTHING to do