The daily Alaskan., 1912-03-14
elsHop PETER r. ROWE
 ON rHg ALASKAN INDIAN

the Congressional report of the re- marks on eConditions h Alaska, made by Bishop Peter T. Rowe. be- fore the Committee on Territories it ls in these remarks that Bishop Rowe made the remark that Se per cent c{ the Indians Of Alaska were diseased. This was misconsrued aud was spread broadcast by the yellow ioOrn- ais, to the effect that 90 per cent Of the population Of Alaska were az ricted with tuberculosis;
 INT. Chairman and gentlemen. do not think have very much to say beyond what I have already stat ed ia letter or something that ] caIl brief. an amateurisa brief. which we sent 10 yOn. The suhjecb Is entirely on the conditions of the natives of Alaska. The conditions, in word. are deplorahle and are shameful. The natives embrace the BsSinws and the Indians There arc several tribes Of Indians At any rate they have different languages, and | suppose they number in all so.oo0 in round numbers, 10000 or l5. .0e0 Essimos. and tho rest indians. The conditions have been known fof some ame. A great many people have noticed it, and have talked about a Las, winter as travelled through the country to sec the condition oi the natives in certain sections ii came upon me tha1 it was a duty felt. ta come to Washington and plead here with the President og with Congress. for some definite i'm. mediate acton toward relieving thc pitiable condition of the Indians Of Alaska.
 The conditions are naturally var. led You take the Eskimos, and ther is not very much to be said ia re. gard to them as being in any i'm. mediate need Of assistance. They hay taken care Of themselves very well They of course have been in a bad condition because there was time when they were affected very much by the conduct Of the whaiers going through the Arctic Ocean. but that has been stopped. The revenue cut ters have done splendid service in regard to he Eskimo for some years 50 thas. In word. we can eliminate the Eskimo. ! have no suggestion Co make in regard to them except that they can be very well left alone at the present time They have no dif ficulty in getting food and their oon. aitiou IS improving all the time oi course there is some tuberculosis among them, but it Is not in the same degree as it Is among the oth. CT natives.
 1n regard to the Eskimo would say that the school facilities are sui. Hcient When you come to other parts of Alaska. and deal with the natives, the condition is as bad as | have represented. Certain estimates have been made. Doctors have ex. amined. say. 200 cases and found ia the 1 zoo cases S6 per cent to be afflicted with tuberculosis and prob ably oue-sourth to have venereal d. seases There is a good deal oi trachoma and a good deal of con. juncdvitis. The Indians are finding 1t difficult, Of course, to obtain re- lief. and more SO as time goes on. They are living ia isolated places; not very many in any one place They are scattered and naturally have to go farther for their food.
 The trapping is almost exhausted that is, in some places. because tho white men can go into section that the Indians have trapped fo7 years. and would continue to trap. and in two years they will exhaust the whole section"
 At this point Richard Conneli of New York asked the following ques. ton: Do these statistics as Co d. seases which you gave; do they ap. ply entirely to the Indians?~
 Entirely to the Indians. replied Bishop Rowe.
 'i am not quite prepared to say what the percentage Of disease would be among the Eskimo, but am speaking from statistics in regard to the Indians. Because they are Sd scattered they find themselves in want very often. and if lt continues very much longer there win not be any Indians left; that is. in certain r,evee