Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-24
INDIANS AS FARMERS.
Teaching Industry to Poor Lo n Diff
hcult Undertakes.

Boston Transcript.
All kinds Of experiments have been made
with the administration of Indian affairs,
most of them we believe with excellent
Intentions, but for one reason or another
the larger portion of these has disappointed
expectation. The former Indian commits
sioner w. A. Jones, adopted the plan OF
stopping the issue OF a ration to able bodied
Indians in cases where the government
promised aid until they were capable Of
self-support, and substituting therefor OPP
portunity to perform day labor at a fixed
cash wage. Such scheme upon the face
, of it, wears a plausible aspect, II appears
to bring the Indian right in touch with the
general plan Of civilization, implant in him
ideas OF industry and thrift and touch
his ambition with the sure rewards OF SER
vice. But as Commissioner Leupp has
pointed out, the Indians well-wishers have
made the mistake of dealing with him as
though he were white man with red
skin, whereas he has 'as distinct an indi-
| viduality any type of man that ever
| lived" and must be judged and handled
| accordingly.
Agent Brosus of the Indian Rights asso-
citation. who has been investigating the
operation of the work" system, APP
pears to find i'm II many defects.
In employing Indians upon public
enterprises II is necessary in many in
I stances-perhaps in most-to take them
| many miles from home. AS they are ac-
/ customed to look closely after their wives
and children they take their households
with them and camp near the scenes OF
their labors. This suits their nomadic
propensities well enough, but 1t is re-
turn to a form of living that the govern
ment has wished to see abandoned In favor
of permanent home building. The homes
are closed while the labor is in progress,
| the fields and gardens are neglected and the
herds run wild. Moreover. the system re-
suits in the persistent efforts of the Indian
| laborer to butcher the young stock for
daily living, thus defeating the purpose of
the government to increase the Indian
| herds
Furthermore there have been instances
not few where the funds sent to Indian
agents for labor have been diverted into
| illegitimate channels. Some of them have
| gone to those who have not sown. The
money may be used to support some IA
vorite Indian who upholds the agent when
ever needed, during Investigations. Some
get a great deal and some very little. In
one case a father and two single daughters,
! all with teams, make $3.50 a day for the
three, while the poorer Indian. who cannot
afford a team, gets $l.5 a day, and the
inequality is demoralizing.
| 1t is proposed as substitute for this
plan Of working the Indians far from home
| in public enterprises, to permit him to I'M
| prove his allotment or home, primarily,
] 'and make the measure of his interest in
| such improvement the gauge to determine
! the allowance to be paid him from the
government fund" This would probably be
as cheap and more effective. 1t would
remove incentive to deception In the per-
! Torrance of labor, since the work accom-
plishe would be the best evidence. AT
! the present time certain members of a tribe
receive more than their pro rata share of
the labor fund through favoritsm or fraud;
by the other system the industrious and
thrifty would possess credentials that could
not be disputed and the shiftless and vicious
! would lack the evidences emitting them to
government consideration The merit
claimed for this method is that 1t would
! give the striving workman direct incen-
/ tive to labor with no benefit to be secured
unless the result indicated conscientious
|