Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

their interest and pierced their shei of
phiegmatism. The following year a few
Indifferent vegetables were exhibited in
response to the offer Of prizes. The sue
ceeding season saw a marked improve
ment and nearly every allotment was
under cultivation Of some sort The past
two fairs have been Of a distinctly agri-
cultural character and the produce dis
played has been first class- But the Inn
portant part is that the Crows have been
entirely supporting for more than
two years. They have improved their
lands, bought stock and implements and
laid by money. They have arrived at a
genuine appreciation of the dignity and
pleasure of independence and a sense OF
their duties as American citizens- Only
those who have had some familiarity With
the reservation Indian can fully under
stand what transformation Of this kind
means and how difficult Is the task OF
bringing 1t about. The same sort Of thing.
though seldom with the same degree Of
success, has been achieved by other
agents at other reservations.
To make capable laborer Of the In
dian is even more difficut than to con-
vert him into a practical farmer. The
regular hours and the restraints Of the
pick and shovel gang are naturally abb
horrent to him. To work for tomorrow
after he has made provision for today Is
altogether contrary to his predictions.
In this case, as in the other. the agents
had to proceed gradually and with In
finite patience and tact. At first It was
not possible to induce any considerable
number of the redmen to work for moro
than two or three weeks at stretch,
when they would go of and spend their
earnings before taking up their tools'
again. But these adverse tendencies have
been overcome to such an extent that
two or three thousand Indians are now
affording perfect satisfaction to their
employers in different parts of the West.
The Apaches In particular prove them
selves strong and steady laborers. Many
of them are employed on railroad con-
struction and the Reclamation Service
has used several hundred regularly for
the past three years. On all hands they
are declared to be the best laborers avail
able, easily surprising negroes and equal
ing Slavs and Italians in quantity and
quality of work. whilst much superior to
either In the matter of orderliness and
reliability. In many Instances they satis-
factorily perform skilled labor such as
the mixing Of concrete. driving steam
rollers, and managing stationary engines.
The Indians chief enemy is rum. He
has an irrepressible love for 1t. but he
can hardly ever touch it without expert
encing the worst effects. Its sale. or even
introduction to the reservations was
strictly prohibited by law and the Gov
ernment is seeking to maintain the old
regulations in what was formerly known
MS the Indian country" The question of
Its right to do 30, which will practically
entail it's right to exercise other police
surveillance over emancipated Indians. Is
at present under consideration by the
Supreme Court. The most important con-
sequences hang upon its decision and
whilst 1t would seem TINT law and logic
support negative finding It is heartily
to be hoped that the Court may view the
matter in the contrary light.
1t would have been beyond reason to
expect that such a drastic change as that
wrought by the opening Of the reserya
tions and the granting OF citizenship to
the Indians could fail to create complica-
TONS and difficulties. It has done so but
these are being met and overcome with
such success as to lead to the hope
that the bulk of our Indians will In the
course Of the next ten or fifteen years be
absorbed In the population of the country
and finally disappear as distinct race.
FORBES LINDSAY.