The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-03
A Movement Started To.
Erect A Monument
To The American Indian Now
Almost Extinct
Stray Topics From Little
Old New York

New York, April 30--All New York
mourns the loss of Mark Twain, the
great American humorist, who died
peacefully the other day at his sum-
mer home in Connecticut. After a
long and active life the Nestor of
American humorists was called away,
leaving a vacancy that can never be
filed. He won the admiration and
love of his fellowmen not merely as a
writer of humorous yarns and as a
brilliant after-dinner speaker, but by
his kindness, frankness and other low
able characteristics. He did not con-
tribute millions to universities and
churches, did not found hundreds of
Libraries to perpetuate his name, but
it is safe to say that his memory will
live when the names of the men try
ing to buy fame with their ill-gotten
millions will long be forgotten.
Quite recently movement has
been started for the erection of suit
able monument to the race of the
American Indian, rapidly becoming
extinct. There is certain grim hui
NOR in the proposition which will ap-
peal to those who have studied the
history of the United States 1t shows
a commendable amount of decency
in the promoters of the monument
plan that they wish to erect hand
some monument upon the grave of the
victim of American civilization. The
poor red man was driven from his
land, cheated, defrauded and, event
ually, massacred, either by the SUI
perior armed force of the white men
or by the physical and moral cor
ruption inflicted upon them by the
cunning and unscrupulous invaders.
Is it not eminently proper, therefore,
now that the work of civilization" is
completed, to mark the grave of the
red mans race with an elaborate
tombstone?
The taking of the United States
Census in a city of the size and Pc
culiar mixture of races in its popu-
lation which New York can boast of
is not an easy task and it speaks well
for the ability of the officials in
charge of the work that the task was
completed with comparatively little
difficulty and friction. The experience
of the enumerators, not only in the
tenement districts Of the East side
with their polyglot foreign population,
but even in the aristrocratic precincts
along Fifth Avenue and Riverside
Drive, would fill several good sized
volumes. AS rule the enumerators
met with little difficulty Where
there was trouble it usually arose
from the fact that the enumerators
had to deal with women who consid-
cred the inquisitiveness of the officials
an impertinence and shut the door in
their face. In some cases the enum'
orators were unnecessarily brusque
or rude and fully deserved a rebuke
But, those cases were comparatively
rare and the work progressed smooth
ly.
The disclosures concerning the ca
reer of the bogus Count d'Aulby dc
Gatigny, now on trial in Paris fol
swindling wealthy patrons OF art by
means of fraudulent masterpieces,
are rather humiliating for the scores
of American millionaires who have
been filing their homes and gallerie!
with fake Rembrandts, Rubens, Vel
asquez, Gainsboroughs, etc, paying
enormous prices for cheap copies o
worse. Artists and connoisseurs oil
the Continent have long been awar'
of the fact that clique of unscrupu
lous swindlers, principally located IL
Paris, made large fortunes out of tn
utter ignorance, stupidity and vanit,
of rich Americans. In fact nearly al
Europe knew of 1t, only the Amer
can victims remained in blissful ie
norance. 1t is well authenticate
fact that there are more allege
Rembrandts and Velasquez' in tn
possession of American collector
than were ever painted by the tw
masters. In view of the fact tina
practically every single canvas pain