The Alaska sourdough., 1911-10-10
CITIZENSHIP AND THE INDIANS


 the law did not apply to him, had been remanded for trial, has aroused much speculation in southeastern Alaska
 For all the speculation, little is known about what the decision was, and what it's full purport may be. Since the pub lication of the claims made by the de- fense, printed for the first time in the Sourdough in it's first issue, the white population of southeastern Alaska have realized that the case suggested many possibilities. Whether the court has gone the full length of Arctander's $ po- sition cannot be known until the full text of the decision has been received here. All that is known is that the court of appeals holds that evidence of the Indian s citizenship should have been admitted
 There can be no doubt that decision which would admit to citizenship wholesale the Indians of southeastern Alaska would be a very great evil. The strongest believer in home rule, never included the Indian in his calculations. The hope of citizenship has never been can hardly be claimed that the most in- telligent is ready to receive the voting privilege. Not half dozen Indians in southeastern Alaska take a newspa per, hardly one of them has ever dis cussed politics or taken the slightest in terest in it, and yet, if the Indians in Alaska are permitted to vote, the In dian vote would greatly out number the white vote.
 Yet that practically all the Indians of southeastern Alaska are about to have the franchise placed within his reach is probable. It would be hard to say that Indians in southeastern Alas ka have not abandoned their tribal re- lations. Most of them are following the ways of the white man-not all of them the ways of the best white men, but the "ways of the white man. are various ways. Perhaps the commun ity house, where it exists could be offer ed as proof that the Indian who lives in one has not adopted the ways of the white man, and probably, in determin- ing what Indians were citizens, the courts would expect an Indian to be. extremely civilized before it would hold that he had "abandoned his tri- bal relations '
 The law which makes the Indian a citizen, as it relates to the Indians of Alaska, will probably undergo some al terations at the coming session of con- gress But for the first time the In dian has the hope of becoming citizen held out to him, and it is not probable that that hope will be wholly destroy ed by any new act of congress- It is unquestionably unjust that Indians should be denied the right to locate claims, to act in, any capacity on boat where qualified, it is undoubtedly un- just that in the land we have taken away from them, the United States should say that he can never be good enough to enjoy the ordinary privileges reserved for citizens. But certainly citizenship ought to be a reward of merit, and not bestowed carelessly be- cause the Indian wears store clothes and has a taste for whiskey.
 In any case it will not be safe just yet for any man to ask for saloon license based upon his hope for the In dian trade. Saloon licenses have to be renewed from year to year, and they are easily forfeited. It is still mat ter in which the judge can de pretty much as he pleases. Any saloon, keeper who does not wish to have his license slip from under him, will continue to be very sensitive about any little wishes the judge may have, and none of the Alaska judges are willing to have whiskev sold to tha Tnd;ans-va+