The Washington herald., 1908-01-22
THE INDIAN AND HIS LANDS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

the 10000 Indians now in the United
States have seen this disproved. and have
learned much from the white nelghb9rs,
who have come from time to time TO
share their lands The Uncompahgrs
Utes, the Arapahoes Of Wind River. and
the Fiatheads Of Montana have not
learned this lession. and the government
is having tedious time teaching IT,
The Indians have watched their bound
airy lines draw in closer and closer about
them since they have been on their gov
ernment-gtven reservations. just as their
people before them saw an irresistible
and never fully defined boundary line
push them ever toward the West When
Columbus came the number Of Indians
in the confines Of what Is now the United
states IS said 70 have been between $4,000
and 100000. To-day there are less than
half that many. These Indians practically
owned the whole country. an extent Of
3.026,7S9 square miles To-day the Indians
own in severalty or as communities on
reservations One-thirty-hfth OF this. 81
treaties prior 10 1871 and scores OF
agreements since separating them
from their surplus lands and opening up
these lands to white settlement. in pro-
portion TO their number each Indian
holds on an average about 1000 acres Of
land. Every other person in America.
white or black. old settler OF newly ar
rived immigrant II all the remaining land
were divided in per capita parcels, would
have about 1900 acres, Besides lands and
incomes from these lands. the Indians
Tas gg N d ~rrfH
States Treasury, yielding an annual In
come OF about 81 500 CO.,
From the time Powhatan was forcibly
made 10 kneeI TO receive the crown sent
by Englands King. and later 10 sub
scribe 10 treaties regarding his holdings.
the governments Of colony and republic
have been kept busy bargaining with the
Indians for their lands In 1853 the line
marking the boundary between the white
and Indian lands might have been rough
Is drawn from the center Of New York
southwark to follow the western bound
aries Of the CaTOlinss. and then defect
eastward 10 almost touch the coast in
Georgia and Florida By 1876 the elastic
boundary had slipped westward until the
Ohio and the Cumberland rivers were the
limit and then successive years Of prog
ress wiped the frontier from the map OF
the United States. and row only small
splashes of color in nineteen States west
Of the Mississippi and in two east mark
the places where the tribes have al last
been persuaded 20 settle down after the
white mans fashion.
jefferson was the first President 10 en-
courage active steps III the acquisition OF
Indian lands for white settlement. The
Indian Territory Of Jackson's day was
the answer 10 his wish. Sometimes the
Indians asked permission 10 20 farther
West before the white people negotiated
for their lands. In 1929 the Six Nations
OF New York petitionad Congress in
stately terms beginning. Fathers. We.
your children, being chiefs and principal
men Of the following tribes" and asking
permission 10 90 West 20 some lands
they had bought from Michigan Indians.
averring that they could not lead the
good lives they wished. because of the
bad influence Of their white neighDOTs
The Indians have suffered much AT the
hands Of the white fronHersman. whose
ideas Of equity and personal rights often
grew sadly blunted as civilization and
churches were left behind More than
once these frontiersmen have proved big
ger than the Department Of the Interior,
and the Indian and his lands have suf-
fered In ISL. when the Osages were
being moved from Kansas TO the Indian
Territory. 800 whites rushed in ahead.
seized the lands, and refused 10 let the
Indians enter. When the War Depart
ment sent out to expel these Illegal
'sooners" there were ]. SOC who reluctantly
departed-and watched 70. the next In
dian removal
The earlier method of taking care Of
the Indians was 20 round then up on
their whittier they had
taken refuge when fleeing the white
mans spelling book. steam engine. giant
reaper. and other outward evidences OF
ciyiliZatiOn-and paupeTize them 10y giving
them food and clothes. The present COM
missioner IS trying TO make them see the
good Of self-suppOrt. and many are try
ing TO learn how 10 accomplish IT, The
opening of each new reservation brings
its lesson, as has this OF the ties, and
when a part of the Rosebud Reservation
IN South Dakota is set aside for settle
ment this year, many OF these lessons
can be applied
TO-mOrrow-POstaI Savings Banks.
Seventh SmaIIDOv Case