The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-19
(From The Oklahoman.)

should be either relegated to the
depths of obscurity or ousted from
the list of expressions in good stand
ing.
None are more firmly bound to this
conviction than Miss Kate Barnard,
state commissioner of charities and
corrections, who, If she cannot rele.
gate the expression, wishes to make
it up to date and would add orphan"
to Indian.
No person in the state is more thor
oughly familiar with Indian affairs in
Oklahoma than Kate Barnard and no
woman is more competent to COM
ment upon their conditions than she.
For more than five years her life has
been intimately connected with the
red men, and her interest in their
children has not been always from a
sense of duty to her office, but from
sympathy deep and sincere.
In urging the passage of her In
dian orphan bill in the legislature,
Miss Barnard asserts positively that
the Indian children are being malici-
ously and wlfully robbed by due
process of law" in many instances.
More than $3,0OOOOO has been taken
from the children of the red man who
in later years, without Inheritance
or funds, must necessarily become
wardens of the state.
Recently the commissioner and her
assistant became incensed at the out
and out manner by some of the Indian
orphans guardians, and action was
taken in several counties.
All of these actions were brought In
civil suits. In all, 1877 cases were filed
and at the completion OF the trials 1877
| judgments in favor of the Indian mi
nors were secured. The cases were
tried without the cost of a penny to-
the estates of the orphans and the
amount of money saved in attorneys
fees at the rate allowed by probate
judges was approximately $9,4OO.
Worth 100000.
Probably, including cash, money
and land restored to orphans totaled
more than 100000. Taking this sum
as a conservative amount and figIr-
ing 10 per cent, as usual percentage
granted to guardians in such proceed
ings, practically s9,400 was saved to
the Indian children. This enormous
saving was accomplished with an ap-
preparation for expenses OF $1,125 for
! fifteen months.
In connection with these orphans
there is one duty that ! would like
10 perform" says Miss Barnard, but
the commissioner has not the means
at disposal. About $250,000 has been
collected illegally from the various
orphans by the various guardians and
there Is nearly $250,000 more in ex-
penses charged by these guardians
and paid from minors estates which
should be returned by suits both civil
and criminal.
II is accurately estimated that be-
tween $4,000 and 10000 Indian chill
dren, with parents, had guardians ap-
pointed by the courts, as the parents
themselves were either too ignorant
to look out for the interests of their
offsprings or too anxious for dollar
in their own pocket, to care. Each
child was allotted a tract of land vary
ing in size as the valuation varied. In
some cases the tracts were so to 100
acres.
Under the provisions of the law,
the guardian made a bond for $40 for
each Indian child that he guarded"
In many cases one man has been
known to be the guardian of 500 In
dian children although the average
was not more than five or ten. Fol
lowing the signing of the bond the
citizen appointed by the court was the
lawful sponsor of the indian minor or
orphan.
Quite naturally 10, the poor Indian
orphan" had no income for mainten-
ance and quite naturally again, the
guardian while he had a great love in
the Indian deep down in his heart, he
would not be expected to dig down
in his own pocket for food, clothing
and shelter for the Indian.
Consequently he went to court. An
affidavit was signed to, setting forth
that no means of support and could
not exist without funds. With due
consideration the honorable court or
ders sale and 40 acres of the In
dian land was disposed OF at public
auction. II the tract contained 120 (
acres, as we will say for example, 40
acres were sold. ,