East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-11-08
SAYS LANDLORD|SM
THREATENS INDIAN
WNT. p. CAMPBELL DENoUNCES
LEASING OF LAND TO WHITES
Assistant Superintendent of Chcma-
wa Declares Govcrnmcnt Ward is
Wrongly HandlcIl-SaNS Indian is
Becoming Lazy.

Campbell, assistant superintendent of
the Chemawa Indian school, Chem
ava, ore. yesterday returned from a
visit TO the Blackfoot and Flathead
reservations. says the Sunday Ore
gonian. Mr.. Campbell was sent to
| these reservations from the Carlise In
| dian school - years ago. Since then
| he has visited the reserves many
/ times. He says there is a continual
/ tale Of advancement. but this is now
threatened by the leasing system
which he describes as anything but
to the best interests Of the Redmen.
The Indians are in n great danger
! of developing into landlords" said
Mr.. Campbell at the Imperial Hotel
/ yesterday. - landlord may not sound
such an awful busaboo, but it is the
/ last thing the Indian. in his present
stage of development should be. on
! the Flathead reservation l find the
Indians following a procedure of leas-
/ ing their lands to the whites fSr
period of five years. The result is
I that the Indian obtains, in a major
/ ity of instances, a comfortable living
from the rentals, becomes lazy-or at
/ least the plan has that tendency
and at the end of the five years he
/ has q piece of land from which the
best has been taken and has in fact.
/ a deprecated property with the inn
/ provements in bad shape.
Indian no Farmer.
Twenty years ago, or in 1891 when
| Congress passed a bill allowing the
indians to lease their lands to the
whites. I favored the measure, and
| heartily, too, believing that the In
dians would learn how to farm from
| the whites l find l was mistaken.
The Indian pays little or no attention
| to what is being done with his land
and simply loafs on the proceeds from
| his contract.
ION the Blackfoot reservation I
find an entirely different condition.
There the Indians have grazing lands,
lands which they cannot we'll lease
for agricultural purposes, and the re-
suit is they are giving themselves to
stockraising and are prosperous.
"One curious incident might well
describe this condition. Twenty-Five
years ago l went out from Carlise to
secure Indians from Montana. 1t was
my first trip and 1 found the Indians
living in wigwams, dependent entirely
on the government rations, a little
hunting and some horse-trading for a
living. There were not a half dozen
houses of any description on the res
ervation, and those in which the In
dians lived were mere novels. There
were not a half dozen Indians who
wore civilized clothing-all had long
hair, were painted and wore the blan-
ket. 1 secured 156 Indians from this
Montana wild and took them to Car
Isle.
When I went back this time I
could not help being struck by the
great change, especially among the
Blackfeet. I found the Indians rails
ing stock on their grazing lands, lv-
ing for the most part in comfortable
houses, wearing-with but very few
xecptions-civilized dress and all ap-
parently prosperous. l was sitting in
hotel at Blackfeet when l noticed
three Indians gazing al me. One came
over. Aren't you Mr.. Campbell?' he
asked.
Trio of Graduates Found.
i found those three Indians were
.. Charles Buck, Malcolm Clark and
William Hazlett. all members of that
original Carlisle party and now all
graduates of Carlisle. Questioning
them, l found that Buck had just sold
his cattle Increase for that year fol
$1,000 He showed me his home anf
it was a model of elegance in that far.
> away country. Clark has, in the same
. way, just taken a profit Of $4,000 fol
his years work. These two Indian!
| found to be respected, and highly
| so, not only in the reservation but al
| over that section of Montana They
| are types of the civilized Indian.
Hazlett, the third of the trio. haC
| migrated from Blackeet and had fol
| lowed his fortunes in Oklahoma. H,
/ vas merely visiting his old relative
! among the Piegans. But he showed
! that he could survive without the ad
| vantage of the tribal relationships. II
! his Oklahoma town 1 found he was
newspaper proprietary and banl
president, that he had Just run 70
= state Senator and been beaten by fiv
- votes, and was going back to try again
He Is big man in his community
yet is a fullblood Indian.
with these Blackfeet Indians
must take issue with the Indian De
partment which is advocating diversi
fled farming. Their land is grazin
land, pure and simple, stockraising /
the best adaptation Of the land, an
for them to take up farming nov
would be to step backward. If. ,how
ever, the government would re-allo
the redskins land and give them 10
cations on the south half of the re
serve, which is subject to irrigation
then think the Indians would do we
in taking up the diversified farmin
- idea"
4 Mr.. Campbell sent to Chemawa 1
4 pupils from the Blackfeet reservatio
y and 20 from Flathead reservation
q The school is now filled to capacit,
u which is about $50.
g Hohbach's coffee and oyster houi
ls now open: best OF service.