The Cairo bulletin., 1909-10-21
LAKE MoHoNK CONFERENCE
CONSIDERING CONDITION
OF REDSKINS.
INDIAN MAKES SPEECH
At Opening Session Yesterday--Vicc
President Sherman Tells What
Has Been Done For
Poor 10.

Life After Graduation"
| Vice President Sherman. who for
many years was chairman OF tho
| house committee on Indian affairs,
reviewed this evening the steps taken
in behalf of the Indians in the last
Thirty years. He believes the Indian
should be trated as an individual. and
not in tribal relations
| 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 ali the multiform activities OF
the Indian service fall into we'll
4 ordered array in an advance toward
a single goal. In the minis OF most
people the Indian service Is mere
hodge-podee of activity. Indians are
going to this or that kind Of sclool
being allotted raising stock, workin>
in the woods, learning to irrigate.
cases and rations in others, owninc
bank accounts of all sizes from q few
dollars to many thousands going to
church and engaging in pagan rights
ldealing shrewdly with traders or be
coming an easy mark for them. DC
veloping all kinds of diseases, getting
drunk and even keeping sober, loaf.
ing and making some OF the best
Iworkmen the United States possesses.
All these various activities are kelt
lin further confusion by the ka.
leidscopic charges introduced by the
rapidly developing economic AMI 81.
sial life Of the white people scatter,
ed more and more around and through
the Indian country.
This apparent chaos in Indian af.
fairs is only true superllcially. 1t Is
necessary for the people at large tC
understand what the fundamental
principles governing the bureau arC
in order to assist in bringing then
tp the surface and to demand OF til,
Indian bureau and Of congress thei
intelligent and forceful application,
Continuing, Mr.. Valentine said tina
the Indian service was tolay wild,
open to the whole country for in
spection. He said it was impossible
for him to hear and see all the goot
and all the bad in the service person
ally, and that 1t was necessary to
congress to give him to this end /;
corps of thirty competent inspectors
with the necessary qualifications
Rea! superintendent also were peed
led. These superintendent should b,
big men, for Indian affairs above al
lis human business, and to get goot
men adequate salaries must be paid
1T is possible to do only tNt
things with the Indians" Mr.. Vaicn
tine went on, to eXterminate then
or make them into citizens ON
Ipresent course Is a cross between OK
Termination and citizenship If ",
would escape disgrace greater thar
amy which has attended this Indiar
business yet we must stop at the be
ginning of this twentieth century ant
think clearly about the Indians AMI
Iset 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 Cleal
demands Of us more than would bt
demanded in the case of the back
ward among our own people. or in th'
case Of the immigrant"
Mr.. Valentine then declared tha
the Indian today was not yet read.
to live under a perfectly constructe,
and highly developed irrigation sys
TEN. He must frs be given instrul
tion from which he can see results
and in this way in one year man
Indians could be taught to use a higl
ly developed irrigation system VIII
without that preliminary trainin
!. would forever fail.
/. The commissioner then touche
upon the health OF the three thousan
Indians of the United States. He sal
that tuberculosis and diseases OF tn
blood should not be permitted (
:. creep in among these peoples. an
that liquor must be kept away froI
them. What Is the use of maine
: and poisoned citizen? he asked
! There should be an unexcelled India
medical service.
o Referring TO education. Mr.. Valei
/. tine said all Indians should be taugh
q Ito speak the English language. I
4 read easily, to speak effectively, I
b write clearly, and to figure easily
!. For the industrial education of tn
Indian, the plant at hand In tn
broader sense is the very valuabl
property owned by the Indians. o
:. given them by the government, O
. which they got the experiences Q
= aeutal life.