East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-02-15


every gathering here in Washington
or anywhere else in the country.
where you meet to consider together
and arrange together your work as
citizens of the United States. 1t is
one of the privileges of citizenship,
not only that it leads to this feeling
of manh ood and independence on the
part Of each one, but it has also for
you a greater meaning, in that when
you gather together, all your citizens
together present a force and have
the opportunity of ACCOMPLISHING
things for yourselves that none of Won
alone could do. 1t is that fact that
makes the right of petition or group
OF persons to come together and pc
ttlon the government concerning
their affairs
In other words, / want to see the
indian all over the country, assert his
rights political rights in every prom
er way and for that reason it is i'm
portant that you all meet together
and consider what those rights and
privileges are and what you need to
DO IN connection with asserting them.
want you to understand how
heartily l am in sympathy with any
political movement among the In
dams You have kindly invited me
to become an honorary member of
this organization and | want Won to
understand straight from me and not
from anybody else why / cannot ac-
cept that honor while I am commits
sioner of Indian affairs.
The Indian Bureau. as I explained
to you at the start, exists chiefly for
those two main purposes Of forward
ing the health and industry among
the Indians and helping you to put
yourselves, therefore, in the best nos
sible position to assert your tolitical
rights and in asserting your political
rights you will have it will be your
duty and privilege TO take part in
party politics. 1t will be your duty
to study the candidates in the diff
ferent communities and vote for the
ones that you believe to be right and
good men.
Now the Indian office has no hand
of any kind properly in politics or
party politics and so while am
commissioner of. Indian affairs I feel
that l cannot accept this honor that
you have offered me- but, if when l
cease to be commissioner of Indian
affairs you still wish to extend me
such an invitation, I might be very
proud to consider it, When that day
comes you will very likely have for
gotten all about it. But what I want
to leave with you is the idea that I
believe in this meeting and organiz-
ing to assert your rights and privi,-
eyes and in your taking part in your
local communities in elections I want
the Indian insofar as my word has
any weight with you or my interest
in you any weight in your hearts. to
consider the sacredness of a voters
duty; the sacredness of each one of
you making up your mind as to the
good character and the ability and
the wisdom of the man you elect to
represent you in the congress here.
l cannot leave this meeting With
my belief in the Indian race or races.
as people. I am no sentimentalist on
the subject. and like other people in
TINS country, all other citizens YOU
Indians have a lot to learn. But
have not ridden thousands of miles
over your reservations and over your
allotments, many times in company
with some of my friends here today
without finding out that the Indians
have a lot of ability and character
which are among the best things this
country possesses. In ability. there
is, in my judgment, substantially no
Indian in this country who starts
young enough who cannot accomplish
any object which any of the other
people in this country can accom-
plish. There are men right in this
room, and you will find them in every
other gathering of Indians anywhere
who have succeeded in every calling,
from the farm up through all the pre-
fessions.
want you to know direct from me
that have no doubt about your abil-
ity, AS soon as you get accustomed
as tribes and as persons to our ways
of doing things, you have proved
many times over your ability to adapt
yourselves to those ways and make
good in them. Neither will there be
any fear if the Indian will only assert
his native honesty and integrity of
character. If each one of you will
assert his own behalf and in behalf
OF his character, honesty and integ-
rity which you possess, the Indian
will take very high place in the cit
izenship, the political citizenship OF
this country.
/ thank you all for this invitation
to speak to you today and want you
to know the doors of my office are
always open to anyone to come tC
me and see me with the same hos.
| nita lity which Won have o1woyS chov,