The Washington times., 1906-03-20
INDIAN TERRITORY
REONAN'S GRAVE
Says Bentley, Extolling
Mexico's Police.
TOO MUCH PATERNALISM
He Declares United States Should Have
Permitted Wards to Hustle
for Themselves.

1.-The graveyard of the American IN
disns has served its purpose and is TO
be plowed up" said NJ J. Bentley, for
many years an Indian agent In indian
Territory Mr. Bentley. who was con-
nected with the Indian service longer
than any other agent ever was, believes
that the policy of this nation toward its
aborigines has been a progressive crime
of generations In this he does not dis
agree with many other people, but Mr..
Bentley enforces his views with some
striking statements
Mexico has about Il. coo, eco people" he
said. About 100000 of them are
whites. the rest are Indians They have
made IL one Of the most prosperous
countries. Indians are the bone and
sinew of Mexico. The country has had
little white immigration for a century
till in very recent years. 1t is practi-
cally a great Indian republic.
Greatest Living American.
'Mexico's President is the greatest
living American today, and he is an In
dian. / think il was John w. Foster
who recently declared Diaz and the En-
peror of Japan the two greatest rulers
of the world.
Mexico shows us what were the pos
sibilities of the Indian. II is a mistake
10 assume that the Indians in Mexico
are essentially different from our own.
They are not. ! know both the Ameri-
can and the Mexican Indians The diff
ference is just this: that while this
country has ruined the Indian by max
ing ward of him, Mexico has turned
him out to hustle for himse1I. and he
has made good citizen of himself. The
TaO1f nf TT.TF
calculated TO degrade the Indian.
Indians Go to Mexico.
Left to himself and given a chance
10 be a self-respecting citizen, the In
dian of Mexico has developed Made a
Government ward. with the Government
looking after his business. the United
States Indian has been ruined Today
the Indians in the Territory want to
leave the country and go to Mexico. and
they will be found doing it just as fast
rs they can after the tribal relations are
ended. Some of the tribes are now di-
vided between the Territory and Mex
leo, and in every case the branch that
IS IN this country is anxious to get to
Mexico. 1t is Just because Mexico knows
how 10 handle them.
The Mexican Indian is commonly q
1ull-blOod- There are few of them in
the United States You can ride across
Indian Territory 225 miles and be lucky
II YOU see full-blood Indian.
Redman's Future.
Indian affairs have been of unusual
interest in Washington this winter be-
cause Of the approaching dissolution OF
the tribal relations of the wealthy tribes
of Indian Territory. The future of these
Indians is a rnstter of great concern
throughout the Southwest. They have
been allowed 70 opportunity TO equip
themselves with experience and business
knowledge for competition with the
white man. They are soon 10 be turned
out 20 hustle for themselves Many are
preparing to so TO Mexico, and if they
do they fear that the Government will
treat them as II has the Kickapoos of
Mexico, who are unable TO secure the
rental OF their lankS in Oklahoma The
Indian department wants to force them
10 return TO this country, and this they
Will not do.
Meanwhile there is great fight in
Congress over the heritage Of these In
dians-the immense Indian Territory
coal field, which, it is alleged. railroad
interests want to absorb at small cost
The President himself has recently been
induced to take hand in this contest
3n the effort to save the Indians from
being entirely despoiled of their great
property.