The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-10-21

Through a period Of temporary de-
ipendenSy. IN thu lace d seiFsiizRsi6n
lthsy nave Become dependent children,
lwiiat We must dois 6est we can & 10
prepare them for a new fun grown
land Independent life Ia advantageous
IrelS4ions with the white mans clvili-
zation" =
The promotion Of Industries suited
Ito the environment of the natives, was
urged by the speaker, as another inn
4 portant phase of the problem of de-
|veiopment. The Introduction of the
reindeer industry was brilliant and
snccessful stroke of social Invention
directed TO this end" he said. 1.-THE
number Of distributing centers for the
reindeer has now been increased to
thirty-one. and the number OF rein
deer owred by natives has risen to
s.sss out of q sptal Of 1892 in Alas
ka, according 10 cur last report.
1T may net be possible to introduce
another industry at once so new to
this people and so exactly suited to
thei- needs as is thc reindeer indus
try, but constant endeavor Is max
ling in other portions of Alaska to put
the. natives in possession of such In
dnstriai skin and apparatus as will
meet their present needs"
The need OF moral training among
the native, DR.. brown sug sested, IS
an Important phase OF the present
work in that territory which might
well be taken up by churches and
omissions rather than by public
schools. The work OF religious edu-
cation he said, was now being we'll
done at many points n the territory.
Legal restraints, particularly with
regard to the sale of infoxicants, was
another factor to De reckoned with.
the speaker believed. He pplauded
the action o. the Department of Jus
tice in proceeding vigorously against
1.-THE traffic in strong drink from which,
The said, the natives had suffered
The Alaska service DR.. Brown
concluded. recognizes responsible
ity, which indeed Dis a. responsibility OF
the services Tor any backward people,
of blazing new ways among new made
difficulties. In SO doing It may hope
rot only to share in bearing the white
mans burden among the members OF
darker race, but also In widening the
conception of education everywhere.
even the education of highly cultured
peoples"
R. G. Valentine. the next speaker,
Is commissioner of Indian Affairs. HIS
address dealt with the Indians of this
country.
MIR. Valentine said in part:
"T,he 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 in an advance toward
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 a school,
being allotted, raising stock. work
ling in the woods. learning to irri--
gate, drawing percapita payments in
some cases and rations in others.
owning bank accounts of all sizes
from a few dollars to many thousands
going to church and engaging in pa
gan rights, dealing d shrewdly with
traders or becbmins an easy mark
for them, developing all kinds of dis
eases, getting drunk and even keep
ling sober, loafing and making some
Iof the best workmen in the United
States. All these various activities
are kept in further confusion by the
kaleidoscope charges introduced by
the rapidly developing economic and
social life of the white people scat.
tered more and more around and
Through the Indian country.
This apparent chsos in Indian af-
fairs Is only true specifically. 1t is
necessary for the people at large to
understand what the fundamental
principles governing the bureau are
in orderto assist In bringing them
to the surface and to demand OF the
Indian bureau and of Congress. their
Intelligent and forceful application
Continuing, Mr.. Valentine said
that the Indian service was today
wide open to the whole country for
inspection. He said it was impossi.
BILE for him to hear and see all the
good and all the bad in the service
personally, and that 1t was necessary
for congress to give him to this end
a corps of thirty competent in
spectors with the necessary quaIsi-
cations. Real superin.endents were
also needed. These superintendent
should be big men, for Indian aiIairs