The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07

phlegmatism. The following year few indifferent vegetables were exhibited in response to the offer of prizes. The sue ceeding season saw q marked improve ment and nearly every allotment was under cultivation of some sort. The past two fairs have been of distinctly agri- cultural character and the produce dis played has been first class. But the im- portant part is that the Crows have been entirely self-supportlng for more than two years. They have improved their lands. bought stock and implements and laid by money. They have arrived at q genuine appreciation of the dignity and pleasure of independence and q sense of their duties as American citizens. Only those who have had some familiarity with the reservation Indian can fully under stand what a transformation of this kind means and how difficult is the task of bringing It 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 a capable laborer of the h. dian Is even more difficult than to con- vert him Into a practical farmer. The regular hours and the restraints of the pick and shovel gang are naturally ab- horrent to him. To work for tomorrow after he has made provision for today Is altogether contrary to his predelctions. In this case as in the other. the agents had to proceed gradually and with in. finite patience and tact. At first 1t was not possible to induce any considerable number of the redmen to work for moro than two or three weeks at a stretch, when they would go off 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 lnborers. 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 surpassing 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 1t without experi- encing the worst effects. It's 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 as the Indian country" The question of its right to do so which will practically entail It's right to exercise other police surveillance over emancipnted Indians. Is at present under consideration by the Supreme Court. The most important con- whilst 1t would seem that law and logic support a negative finding It Is heartily to be hoped that the Court may view the matter in the contrary light
 It would have been beyond reason to expect that such drastic change as that wrought by the opening of the reserva- tions and the granting of citizenship to the Indians could fall to create complca- 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.