The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-19
WOULD HAVE INDIANS COMBINE
COMMISSIONER LEUPP SUGGESTS
JOINT STOCK PLAN.
He Recommends That Tribes Having
Money and Lands Organize Into Joint
stock Companies for The Purpose Of
administering Their Common Estate.

HutuiAlHhtrrhh8 Iuctf tsknntuh flbt2trs
WASHINGTON. Nov. is-The most striking
feature OF the annual report Of Francis Z.
Leupp, Commissioners OF Indian Affairs.
just made public, il that in which he recon-
mends that Indian tribes having money
and lands should organize themselves into
joint stock companies for the purpose OF
administering their common estate. Such
a plan, he argues, would conserve their
property interests AZ large and yet ciothe
such beneficiary with a sense Of personal
possession, which among all races serves
as an incentive to progress. He makes this
suggestion in connection with a discussion
of the affairs Of the 0sases. who are said
90 be the richest people per capita in the
world. However. he proposes the joint
stock company plan for all Indians whose
property interests jastify it.
Suppose. by way OF illustration. /" says
Commissioner Leupp. that a tribe has
$1,000. 600 in the treasury. I.OoO. 900 acres
Of agricultural land and mines which pay
royalties Of sl0O. 900 . year. For hypo-
theticsl purposes we may suppose the tribe
to number 1000 souls. Now let a census
be cast on . certain date-say the first Of
January next year-and to each person on
the oil let there be issued one share of stock
in the tribal corporations already organized.
That stock at the outset would represent
$1,000 in cash. 1000 acres Of land and 500
Of annual royalty. The mixed property
would be no greater in the aggregate than
before the act of incorporation. but it would
be removed from the communal to the
business basis OF ownership. brought into
lint with the vast mass Of the property in
our country.
Il anticipate from some quarters a quee-
ton like this: II an Indian wished to sell
bis share Of stock to somebody who was
ready to buy it for a long, how could the
Government prevent him? II seems to me
that prevention would be very easy. Under
the terms Of incorporation. which, Of course,
would take form in a general statute for
application 10 all tribes, il could be pro-
vided that the Secretary Of the Interior
should be the perpetual treasurer and
transfer agent OF the company. Other
officers OF the Government, il il were deemed
desirable, might be placed and kept in i'm
portant official positions in the directorate,
and into this board it might be well to in
duct also a certain number of the indians
themselves, for experiment certainly war
rants the belief that the more advanced
and Intelligent members of the tribe would
forge to the front as its Representatives in
such a transaction
Moreover" continues Commissioner
Leupp, the general law of incorporation
might provide that in case any stakeholder
wishes to dispose of his interest and has
the consent of the transfer agent Secretary
Of the Interior thereto, he must offer the
first option for it's purchase to the corpora
ton itself"
Commissions Leupp says that the fea-
ture of Indian civ ilization upon which his
office has laid its greatest stress during
the year Just passed has been its policy
of inducing the young and able bodied
Indians, who have no profitable work at
home. to leave their reservations and go
out into the world and make a living as
white men do.
Sometimes they 20 only a little way,
he says, but even that is better than going
not at all; and in a few instances they go
a long distance, conduct themselves very
creditably and come back with money
in their pockets, some of which they save.
and most OF which when spent goes for
more sensible purchases than undisciplined
Indians are apt to make
Great success has attended the efforts
OF M Government to induce the Indians
10 go to work for a living. The red man
il helping to build railroads and irrigation
bitches in the middle and far West, and he
is herding sheep in the Southwest. Com
missioner Leupp says: The Indians are
EbAPh6f dllbt ~ IdllIOdu OOrH
puts it, have not learned 20 loaf when the
boss's back is turned"
Commissioner Leupp makes some in
teresting comments concerning his efforts
TO revive Indian art. He says:
"On the same principle which has actuated
my effort TO preserve and perpetuate that
which is best in our aboriginal music, |
have been eNerting myself during the last
year to rescue and develop the best ideals
in. the pictorial, plastic and textile arts
which are specially attended by Navajo
children 10 has been found practicable to
set up looms and institute q course of in
struction in the distinctive blanket weaving
Of this tribe. Elsewhere the pottery in
dustry rs practised among the variou
Pueblo groups has received such encour-
agemen as the Office could extend to it.
This has been on the condition that the
new generation should be trained in IN
clever handiwork OF the elders, but with
such Improvements in the clay mixtures
and the surface treatment as would result
in a stronger mechanical product without
any diminution OF its artistic beauty or
individuality.
Back of the manual dexterity volve
in the weaving and the mouldiI z. however,
lies the maintenance of the native art ideals
in decoration, and l seized promptly the
opportunity offered by a vacancy in the
art instructorship at Carlisle school TO ex-
tend our educational work in thai direc-
Jon. MISS anger de Cora, a WlnneDago
and an artist by profession. was appointed
TO the vacant chair, in order that the new
movement might receive it's first real i'm
pulse from a hand at once sbilful and
sympathetic. IL is my desire that the
pupils who study any kind of decorative
work shall be encouraged and led to EN-
ploy Indian combinations of line and color,
and that the products Of the school shops,
as far as they lend themselves properly
TO ornamentation, shall show the charac-
teristic indian touch as distinguished from
the Caucasian designs which pervade
the same branches Of industry elsewhere
furo -
SQUARE DEAL FOR THE FARMER.
La Can NIaLn AInnI,n IL. ma n..