Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1905-06-08
YANkTON INDIANS
ARE NOT DRUNkARDS
No Daily CarousaIs Result
From Supreme Court Oecis.
ion on Reservation.
sOOTLEGGlNG is BARRED
II Is Known That Of the Entire Tribe
Less Than Ten Per Cent. Indulge
in lntoxicants Which Are
Death to Redman.

Wagner, S. D., June 1.-The recent
decision of the United States supreme
court holding that intoxicating liquors
can be sold to indian who have taken
their allotments of lands has caused
the publication of numerous articles in
tne newspapers stating that 1t would
result In "a reign of terror in the locality
where Indians reside. AS far as the
Iankton Indians are concerned these
articles are erroneous. Wagner Is stu
ated In about II center of what was
formerly. the Yankton Indian reserva-
ton. and is the nearest town to the
Yankton Indian agency.
Per Cent. 10 Small.
The Yankton Indians all DOL their
ailotmentS OF land years ago. There is
probably not 10 per cent. of the Yank-
ton dia that will use intoxicating
liquors In any form. A large majority
of them belong to the different church,
es on the reservation and each of these
Indians are not only total abstainers,
but are strong workers in the cause of
temperance A large majority of these
Indians realize the demoralizing effects
or the use of Intoxicating liquors among
them. n to guard against this, when
they ceded the land that was the Yank-
ton reservation to the United States
government they had a provision in
corporated In the treaty brewer prohib-
iting the sale of Intoxicating liquor on
any of their coded land. with the result
that no Intoxicating liquors can be sold
within the limits of what was formerly
the Yankton Indian reservation. The
provisions of this treaty has been in
corporated into an act of congress pre-
scrfbing a severe penalty for the VIOLA
ton of the same, with the result thai
the eastern half of Charles Mix county
has absolute prohibition against the
sale of intoxicating liquors for any pur-
pose, even the drug stores are not al
lowed to handle 1t.
Christian Workers Help.
This excellent condition among these
indians has been largely brought about
through the efforts of Rev. John p.
Williamson, the Indian missionary re-
siding at Greenwood OF the Yankton
reservation who has practically spent
his life working for the cause of Chris
tianity and the upbuilding Of these In
dams. He has translated the bible n
hymn books into their language. In
this work he 'has been assisted by
Bishop Hare Of Sioux Falls n DR..
Riggs of Santee agency. These men
have probably done more towards the
upbuilding and improvement of the In
dams in South Dakota than any one
else.
1t is a very rare occurrence to see
an intoxicated Indlan on the streets Of
Wagner. With the cooperation Of the
government authorities at Yankton
agency and the local authorities of
Charles Mix county 1t is not very safe
for a bootlegger to venture into this
territory, as they are spotted almost as
soon as they arrive. There is not an
Indian to be tried at the coming term
of court in Charles Mix county for an
%offense, and there has been no serious
crimes committed by any of them for a
number of years. While we do not mean
to Va that all of these Indians are to-
tai abstainers. yet the condition among
them is no worse than it formerly was.
Those who want liquor have always
been able to get it. But what drinking
there is among them is largely confined
to the mixed bloods and younger In
lians.