Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

that.
Our early relations with the Indians
| were those Of open enmity and constant
| conflict. The pioneers of our people used
| the rife with the same regularity as the
| axe, and forced the frontier forward
against the armed opposition of the he
reditary owners OF the land. Our troops
! battled with them and our diplomats
treated with them until. at length, they
agreed perforce to confinement within
certain liberal boundaries mapped out In
various parts of the country but mostly
In the West. Then our grandfathers fiat
tered themselves that the Indian prob
lem was solved. The red man had deteri-
grated perceptibly. The unequal conflict
had subdued his spirit and quelled the
pride that plays an important part in the
propagation of race. The use of fire.
water and the effects of number OF
strange diseases produced physical fall
ing off. 1t appeared to be more than
probable that the aborigines would con-
tlnue to diminish In numbers until the
last of them should seek reunion with his
brothers in the happy hunting grounds.
But the Indian altogether failed to play
his part in this program. He did not die
off. He ceased to decrease and in fact
now exhibits rather a tendency In the op-
posite direction. This may be attributed
In the main to the regular rations and
liquor restrictions incident to life on the
reservations.
Many of the early fronhersmen married
Indian women but in these cases the man
commonly became a full-hedged member
of his wife's tribe and In habit and mode
of life an Indian. After the institution
Of the reservations, "squaw men" became
more numerous, whilst much smaller
proportion of them were adopted by the
redskins. The half-breeds, coming Of
sturdy stock on both sides, generally dis
played physical vigor and more than av-
erage intellect Many of them became
prominent In frontier communities, as
business and professional men. The white
strain seems to furnish the practical
qualities that are lacking in the aborigl-
nal character. The combination produces
a man of mental balance and equal to
the competitive demands of civilization.
The happy results of these inter-mar-
riages have led to the belief and hope
that the ultimate solution of the Indian
problem lies lp the gradual absorption
of the red race in the population of our
Western States. There 1t is thought that
they will figure prominently as lawyers
and politicians on account Of their In
herited facility for diplomacy and logic.
Thirty years ago we began to afford |
educational opportunities to the Indians, |
scantily at first but In recent years with !
such liberality as to raise opposition in |
Congress to the necessary appropriations.
IT,, ha Of ha
tribes have been opposed to the attend
ance of the children upon the white mems
schools, but that opposition has gradually
disappeared with the blanket and other
peculiarities that at one time appeared
to be inseparable from the redskin. 1t is
questionable whether our efforts In the
direction of education have been met with
great success-and hence the reluctance
on the part of many members of Congress
to continuation of the large expendi-
lures involved. The system, under former
of Indian Affairs, was de-
signed to create scholars Pupils were put
through the ordinary school curriculum
and learned great deal that was worse
than useless to them. They returned to
the tepees of their people with Ideas OF
their own superiority that were not shared
by their elders, who, finding the school
acquired knowledge of no practical ac-
count. reasonably considered the time
wasted which might otherwise have been
devoted to the acquisition of the useful
arts and domestic training of their own
people Some small percentage of the
boys and girls found places in
american communities where they acuuit-