The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-10-20
One or the Other Course Must
Be Followed Declares the
Commissioner
INDIANS SHOULD Be TAUGHT
TO READ AND WRITE ENGLISH
Can Not Utilize the Advantages of In.
tensified Farming Superinduced by
IrrigatiOn-The Indian Must be Pro.
tected From the Land Sharks


tected From the Land Sharks
Mohonk Lake, N. Y, Oct. 20.-At
the session of Lake Nlohonk confer
ence of Friends of the Indians and
Other Dependent People r. G. Valen-
tine commissioner of Indian affairs,
delivered the principal address
Valentines Address.
Mr.. Valentine said in part:
"The people of the United States
ought to know certain things about
their Indian bureau. They know to-
day too little about the two or three
fundamental principles in the light
of which all the multiform activities
of the Indian service fall into we'll
ordered array to an advance toward
a single goal. In the minds of most
people the Indian service is mere
hodge-podge of activity. Indians are
going to this or that kind of school,
being allotted, raising stock, working
in the woods. learning to irrigate,
drawing per capita payments in some
cases and rations in others, owning
bank accounts of all sizes from few
dollars to many thousands, going to
church and engaging in pagan rights,
dealing shrewdly with traders or be-
coming an easy mark for them, de-
veloping all kinds of diseases. getting
drunk. and even keeping sober, loaf
ing, and making some of the best
workmen the United States possesses.
All those various activities are kept
in further confusion by the kaleide-
scopic charges introduced by the rap
idly developing economic and social
life of the white people scattered
more and more around and through
the Indian country.
This apparent chaos in Indian
affairs is only true specifically. 1t
to understand what the fundamental
principles governing the bureau are
to assist in bringing them to the sur
face and to demand of the Indian
bureau and of congress their intel
ligent and forceful application
Continuing, Mr. Valentine said that
the Indian service was today wide
open to the whole country for in
spection. He said it was impossible
for him to hear and see all the good
and all the bad in the service person.
ally, and that it was necessary for
congress to give him to this end a
corps of thirty competent inspectors
with the necessary qualifications. Real
superintendent also were needed.
These superintendent should be big
men, for Indian affairs above all is
a human business, and to get good
men adequate salaries must be paid.
Civilize or Exterminate.
ut is possible to do only two things
with the Indians Mr. Valentine
went on, "to exterminate them or
make them into citizens. Our pres
ent course is cross between exter-
mination and citizenship. If we would
escape a disgrace greater than any
which has attended this Indian busi-
ness yet we must stop at the begin
ming of this twentieth century and
think clearly about the Indians and
set ourselves resolutely to certain
clean and high courses The whole
American people must do this think
ing, and this course which the think
ing of all the people will make clear
demands of us more than would be
demanded in the case of the backward
among our own people, or in the case
of the immigrant"
Mr.. Valentine then declared that
the Indian was not ready to live un-
der perfectly constructed and high
must first be given instruction from
which he can see results. and in this
way in QUE year many Indians could
be taught to use highly developed
irrigation system, who without that
preliminary training would forever
fail.
The commissioner then touched up-
on the health of the three thousand
Indians in the United States. He
said that tuberculosis and diseases of
the blood should not be permitted to
creep in among them. What is the
use of MANNED and poisoned citi-
zen? he asked. There should be an
unexcelled Indian medical service
English for Indians.
Referring to education. Mr.. Valen-
tine said all Indians should be taught
to speak the English language, to
read easily, 10 speak ODJect1Vely, to
write clearly. and to figure easily.
For the industrial education of the
Indian, the plant at hand in the
broader sense is the very valuable
property owned by the Indians, or
given them by the government, on
which they get the experience of
actual life.
In conclusion Mr.. Valentine said:
"If it is possible to bring these
three principles of health, schools and
industry to the front the Indian SER
vice will waken into full conscious
fness and intelligence. The superin-
knndanf u,ho Nrifaa In "a. er0a -