Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-18

4 Democrat contains an article ent1tled,
"Our Wards of Government" which
is such a sweeping arraignment of the
entire tribe of Musqualde Indians that
| take the liberty of replying thereto,
and to begin nearly where the Demo-
crat left off--on the school question
| briefly present few reasons for the
Indians hostility to the public schools
as advanced by the Indians. Said
their spokesman in council Indian
agent Davenport and a special govern
ment agent being present-"What do
you teach children in your schools!
4 When our squaWs pass thru your
/ towns, and especially by the school
houses, white boys run after them,
shouting and throwing clods and
sticks to brighten and stampede their
ponies. Tell me when a white person.
man or woman, young or old, was ever
/ thus treated while passing thru
the reservation. Do you teach them
to act thus in your schools? If so. we
do not want our children to go to
them.
Our girls and even our wives are
often insulted in your towns On the
contrary white woman. young or
old. day or night can pass at pleasure
alone, unmolested anywhere upon the
Reservation. Should she chance to
meet one Of our men, young or old, he
would not even stare at her rudely
but would avert his gaze and stand
aside and give her the path. Do you
teach your boys these bad manners in
| your schools? IL So we do not want
the schools.
I'VE notice that in your towns you
have calabooses. at your county
seat jails, and at Anamosa and Fort
Madison great walled penitentiaries,
,all Of which are kept pretty well filed
with white men. Whoever heard tell
of an Indian calaboose, Jail or states
prison? Do your schools teach boys
ito become criminals? IL so, we do
not want them.
"Your missionaries come to us and
say, One day in seven-Sunday - is
Gods day; 1t is day for rest and for
the worship OF the Great Spirit
And we say, The Great Spirit makes
in seven He ought to have it, And
we always know when the Great
Spirits Day comes around for that Is
the chief day when white men come
to the reservation with cards, fast
horses and fire water to get our young
men drunk and then with cards and
races win their money. DO you teach
your boys to do this in the schools?
If so we do not want them.
''Then you came and took possession
Of our land and built school house
| thereon and try to compel our children
to go to school. What right had you
to build on this land? 1t Is called a
reservation but 1t is not. We bought
this land and paid for it. Tell me
when the government or its officers
have ever taken possession of and built
on the white mans land without first
getting a title or his permission?
| Again. you do not compel white
child to go to school. Why thus treat
| the Indian as you do not dare to treat
| the white man? And when some of
| the Indians threaten to tear down this
school house or burn 1t off our land
you say you will take our money and
build another, and so keep building as
often as torn down. We are helpless.
| The school house may stand but it will
stand empty"
i
against the school 1t was "a grave
mistake to thus take possession OF the
| Indians land and was without the
warrant of any law, and right here
| dates the Indians increasing hostility
| to the school The Indians have made
their word quite good, as school
house it has stood empty.
It is not true that the Musquakies
| have learned and practiced all there is
| evil in the Caucasion. AS to morals
and manners they have code OF their
| own handed down from time iinme-
mortal. Marriage and divorce are
matters Of agreement between the
parties. They have neither the time,
money or inclination to go to some
Dakota and by fraud and perjury
obtain divorce which by long usage
can be decreed by the parties inter-
ested. And yet an investigation will
show that the per cent Of those who
remain mated is as great as among
their civilized pale-faced neighbors.
AS Ito promiscuous association be-
| tween the< sexes it Is almost an un-
! known quantity. The democrat refers
to the killing of the granddaughter. Of
| the chief She was a half-breed with
more Winnebago than Sac and Fox
blood She was an exceptionally fine
| looking girl, the white blood seeming
| to predominant, but she was iprosti-
| tute, the only one I have heard OF
among these Indians for, forty years
She was notified to quit her evil ways
or leave the tribe. She remained and
was killed. BY whom no one ever
| ventured guess; "mebbe by squaws"
is the only Indian solution have
ever heard. The Democrat says an
axe may be awaiting the murderer
| So far as we have been able to learn
her fate is mourned by few, If any.
The chief has never interested himself
| in the matter. So, while marriage
and divorce are easy and occasionally
polygamy is INDUCED in, a courtesan
of the type easily found in all our
towns and by the thousands in our
cities, cannot live long among the
Musquakies.
Neither is it true that this tribe Of
Indians should be regarded as drunk
ards = and thieves. There are about
five hundred of these Indians in Tama
county. We have been acquainted
with them for over forty years and
have lived close to them for three years
and challenge any one to map any
territory in Iowa. city or county, con-
tanning five hundred white people
that will contain fewer drunkards and