Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
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- HE first white settlement In North
a America. naturally created the Indian
" problem and 1t has confronted us ever
since In constantly changing form. 1t Is
intetestng to note that John Smith, who
was short OF three years In Virginia, al
most at once fathomed the Indian char
acter. His ideas and methods, In the
main, are those approved by the best au-
thorities on the question today. He treated
the aborigines with a mixture of firm
ness and leniency, justice and highland
edness, which excited fear and respect
and, In many cases. as near an approach
to regard as the redman is capable of
feeling for the white. He realized-a
truth which has only been rediscovered In
recent years-that there is strong streak
of childishness In the Indians compost
ton and he Is most effectively handled
as though a high-strung child. Smith
seems to have appreciated the fact that
there are elements SO antipathetlc in the
temperaments of the Caucasian and the
native Of North America, that as races
they must always RETAIN II not an ac-
tual antagonistic attitude towards each
other, at least a sentiment of dislike. And
this is 80 true, that the implacable hatred
Of Opechancanough finds its adumbrant
manifestation In the inimical tendency
of the Indian Of today. he 1t not openly
hostile to the white man, but he Is In
capable Of experiencing friendship for
him and the less he has to do with him,
the better pleased he Is. We, whilst no
longer maintaining the drastic opinion
that every Indian is bad Indian, have
ko1 ~ hn
old-time ,rejudices and false notions with
regard to the redskin-and we never-shall
until he has ceased to be an Indian and
has become absorbed physically and politl-
cally in our population.
The greatest difference of opinion ex-
lists as to the extent of the aboriginal
population of North America at the time
of its colonization by Englishmen. The
habits of the redmen make II extremely
difficult to arrive at a reliable calculation
from the data available. The Indians In
this region were practically all nomadic.
pretty much as were the Arayans of the
Vedic records. Their towns or villages
were not permanent In character. The
houses, or wigwams, were OF boughs and
bark The cultivation of the soil was Of
the most simple With the exception OF
irrigation bitches in the southwestern
part Of the territory there were no works
of lasting Sort Thus there was moth
Ing aside from natural conditions to tie
a tribe to any particular locality. When
these underwent an unfayorable change
as the deterioration of the hunting or
fishing grounds, the accidental blocking
OF a stream, or the occurrence of a great
iorest nre-a tribe moved with little
trouble ana no reluctance, and made set
tement elsewhere In the sparcely popu-
lated country, sometimes returning to
their old location at a later period. Their
migrations and counter-migrations have
led to the inclusion of the same tribe two
or three times In the count of popula-
tion Some writer's, taking no account
Of the fuctuattng nature of the popula-
tion, have noted every mention of Indians
In old records and have accented the
total Of the figures thus obtained as rem
resenting the aggregate of population al
one time. Thus we have estimates that
run into many millions and are undoubt.
edly far beyond the mark. At the other
extreme is the statement of President
Roosevelt that the Indians in the United
States are today as numerous as they |
ever were in the same territory. One ex-
aggeration is as easy of refutation as
the other, but 1t Is much more dlficult
to offer an estimate approximating the
truth. All things considered, however.
one may venture the opinion that at the
time Of Captain Smiths arrival in vir-
ginia the natives OF the country known
as North America numbered not less than
two millions and probably more than