The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-10-12
INDIAN TRIBES PASSING.
In short Time the Moccasined Red
Man will BE but Tradition.

Thirty years from now 1t will be
difficult, perhaps impossible, to find
an Indian tribe in the country, living
In tribal relations. according to the
officials of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs. The day of the befathered
blanketed, .moccasined red man Is
passing. 1t will pass sooner than is
generally realized. The indian prob
lem would appear to be near its set
Element, and will soon be listed with
the questions of the past. Fifty years
from now. If another James Fenimore
Cooper arises, he will have little but
his Imagination to draw upon, unless
he goes north into Canada or jour
lneys south into Mexico.
OF course. the Indian blood Will re-
main and will be traceable for many
generations-to come. and for long
time to come there will be indians
OF mixed and unmixed blood scattered
among the whites. But these In
dams will earn their living as other
folks or will be exterminated the
hunting ground will be but a tradi-
ton, and the weapons of the chase
will be supplanted by the tools and
appliances of civilization.
The United States government is
proceeding on the theory that the In
dian is a desirable person when he
gives up his tribal relations, proceeds
70 live as the whites do, earning his
own livelihood, and not being a ward
of the nation-in other words, when
he ceases TO be an indian and blends
with American citizenship.
Persons of sentiment and those
with generation for the traditions OF
the past will probably cry out when
they understand just what the gov
eminent is undertaking to do about
the Indian. Many will probably in
sist that the Indian should be pre-
served in his aboriginal character, as
relic of the past. iust as they in
sist on the preservation Of whatever
has historic value. But the govern
Iment finds this troublesome and ex-
lpensive, and entertains much doubt
whether II is a kindness to the In
dian. AT any rate, the eXtirpation OF
the Indian is proceeding as steadily
and ruthlessly as the wiping out OF
any conquered people Of history every
proceeded. To be sure, il is not
being done by cruelty. Probably any
other course would mean that the
Indian would ultimately become ex-
Itinct.
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs
Francis Z. Leupp. has given a quar-
ter of a century TO the study OF The
Indian problem. He is a trusted
friend OF the Indian, and a believer
in him. and he believes that the best
kindness the government can show
to the red man Is to help take M
the white mans burden. and cease
TO be a nomad.
There are two lines on which Mr..
lLeupp and his aides are working
The first object Is to break up the
reservations and to get white men Ia
settle on these reservations. and min
gle with the Indians. The other OBJ.
iect is to encourage the Indian &c
leave the reservation and TO go out
and work by the day or week OF
month. as the white man does. taking
his chances with the white man.
The results from these two meth
DDS are the same. They educate the
Indian in the ways of the white man
Mr.. Leupp says 1t is an education bj
absorption. The Indian has brains
but be is ultra-conservative. Go tC
the Indian and tell him he Is to b.
taught something. and he will tel
you he doesn't want to learn IL. Blu
| II the Indian is set down in the mids
of conditions where he can learn by
observation and absorption. he is ap
TO learn readily enough. This is tn
Experience of the Indian affairs ON
Gals Washington Correspondents
In Boston Transcript.