Omaha daily bee., 1905-06-09
LEUPP SEES WINNEBACOES
Indian Commissioner Pays Visit to the
Reservation to Investigate,
DEGRADATION OF TRIBE APPALLs HIM
Plain Talk to Red Men Outlines the
Policy that VIII he Adopted
in the Hope of Re-
form.

Francis e. Leupp United States commits
sioner of Indian affairs arrived in Omaha
Thursday night from the winnebago res
ervation, where he appeared Unexpectedly
a few days ago and began an investigation
OF conditions existing among the Indians
One object of Mr.. Leupp's visit was to
look into numerous charges of graft abu.
the reservation, and another object was to
study the social and material condition of
the WinnebagOes themselves. In regard to
the former he said:
Many charges of fraud of one sort or
another have been brought to me, and
am making careful investigation. If l
find that leases have been secured by
fraud. they will be cancelled For several
weeks Miss Scovel an agent of the de-
partment, who went there in the role of
teacher, has been collecting information for
me. No one, not even the agent, knew
that she had any connection with the gov
ernment, and she was able to do good
work. | have her reports in my possess
sion, What they amount to 1 am not pre-
pared to say, as l have not finished the in
vestiGation."
This was Mr.. Leupp's first visit to the
reservation and he expressed himself as
surprised at the moral condition of the
tribe.
Moral Condition of winnebaRoes.
"A few years ago these Indians were get
| ting along nicely" he said. To-day they
are in deplorable condition. They are
besotted with whisky and living in adult
cry. They fight and carouse day and night
and try to get along with the least possible
amount of work. Driving to the railroad
from the reservation today l saw four
wagonloads of drunken Indians. They are
content with anything If they get their Ii
quor l saw a place where the white man
to whom the Indian had leased the land
was living in the Indians fine house and
the Indian and his family were living in
little shack in the rear.
Il called council of the Indians Tues
day and addressed them through their in
terpreters. In the first place l blamed
them for believing things told to them
about the governments intentions by per-
sons outside the government service. l told
them that they could always get into
communication with me through their
agent. Much harm has been done by those
who represent to the Indians that they
know the policy of the department.
Indians Told to Reform.
'Then l told them that they were re-
sponsible for their own misery, that if they
had been the prey of grafters 1t was be-
cause their love of liquor would not AL
low them to take care of their affairs
properly. This drinking and dancing must
stop, l said. IF you don't stop going out
and getting drunk 1t iF in my power to for
bid you leasing your land and / will do it,
You cannot lease the land to get money to
debauCh yourselves. Quit the whisky and
go to work and you will not be disturbed
AS for your dances, l realize that they
were once a religious rite-and l have no
wish to interfere with any mans religion
but they have degenerated into mere
drunken revels. If the frequency of the
dances is not lessened and the whisky kept
away from them. they must stop alto
gether, and those taking part in them will
find themselves without an income from
their lands
II have the power to do and am pre-
pared to do just what l told them. 1 am
here battling with the first situation of its
kind l have encountered since the handing
down of the supreme courts decision that
the Indian who has a land allotment is
a citizen and has a right to buy liquor
Since it is now no crime under the federal
laws to sell liquor to the Indian the red
man himself must be dealt with more Wig
orously and the plan l have suggested is
the only one l find practical
Hopes TO Check Fall.
81 have hopes that the downward course
of the Winnebagoes may be stayed The
talk l gave them Will have a salutary effect
on them. They are afraid of losing their
income, and few examples made by the
government will make them more afraid. |
Then we hope to have the state laws re-
garding liquor selling enforced. In some of
the towns near the reservation the brawls |
Of the Indians have stirred up public senti- |
ment, so that the liquor is no longer sold !
to them openly. On account of the atti- !
tude of the citizens of Pender the saloon |
lists at that place have reached an agree |
ment not to sell TO the Indians At Homer |
the unruliness of drunken Indians caused |
the town to close it's saloons. The United !
States will deal with those men who take |
liquor on the reservation, but we are look |
ing to the state 10 punish those who sell it
to the Indians outside the reservation"
Mr. Leupp will leave this evening for |
San Francisco to superintend the letting of !
Indian contracts He will then do some !