Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-07-17
INDIANS DEFINE
 PEYOTE EFFECT Senate Had Problem But Gracefully Disposed of
 the Matter.
PART OF RELIGION
Hutton Has Been in Use By the In. dians for Years and is
 "Sleep Producer"
(By Sidney Espey)

WaSnngtOn, July l0.-Ine UnlteO States senate recently was caught be- tween two warning religious factions and Automatically settled the dispute by doing nothing. Therefore does the Indian continue the use of peyote, a narcotic of most peculiar properties.
 It was urged by several missionar- ies and others bent on reforming the Indians that the use of peyote, a fur 7y, dried button gathered from Mexi- can plant, bred habit similar to that of which users of cocaine and mor- phine acquire. None of the mission> aries gave the senate Indian commit tee first hand information regarding this and as it was vigorously disputed by Indians, the senate struck from the Indian appropriation bill proviss ion that 8 part of the appropriation for the suppression of the liquor traf- fife should be devoted to stamping out the peyote habit
 Indians who wrote to the committee declared that the peyote is not a habit maker and that, instead, it has induced a frame of mind among In- dians which accords we'll with the governmental policy to make the In- dians self-supporting and able to care for the various properties which the government now holds for them in trust.
 Washington, excepting Indian reser- vations themselves, is perhaps the greatest Indian center in the United States. There are three or four hotels along the lower part of Penn sylvania avenue. which in days past, were aristocratic hostelries, where the barbaric brilliancet of Indian costum may be seen almost any day.
 Some wear blankets of varied ce..ors, some adapt the habiliments of the white man, except that their garb is a riot of color that would make Sena- tor James Hamilton Lewis look like a monotone in water color, but, what ever their garb, poor Lo gets out among the congressman. And there he seems to have done nifty job of lobbying in favor of peyote.
 Last winter group of Indians visit ed congressman and brought with them a pocket full of peyote They described it's effect. The peyote is either chewed or is stepped and the liquor is then drank. The narcotic effect is slow. One must take at least a whole night to get the benefit of a peyote spree.
 But instead of inflaming and pro- noting the Indian to deeds of violence it has an effect quite opposite. In- stead the peyote-user becomes intro spective, considers his relations to his fellowmen, weighs the wrongs he has inflicted on others and acquires, for the time being at least, an altruistic philosophy quite at variance with the general tendency of Indians.
 Nor, according to what this group of Indians told the congressman, does the effect pass away with the recov- cry from the narcotic effects of the peyote. The dreamer awakes but he retains for a time his humility of spirit and his wish to be of some value to his fellow men instead of an in- cumbrance. So eloquent, in fact, was the description that the particular congressman decided that treatment of peyote might not be bad for him. So the Indians left few buttons and departed
 From other sources the senate In. dian committee learned that the use of peyote was proving valuable, among some of the northern tribes which have recently adopted it's use, in de- stroying the liquor habit. As this is the besetting sin of the Indian the committee decided that anything would cure drunkenness was worth consideration. One Indian, a lawyer who has attained high standing in the West, said that the peyote was prov ing to be the Indian "Keeley lnsti- tute."
 The use of pcyote among northern tribes is relatively new. In the south ern part of the United States it has been used for many years. The pey- ote buttons are inexpensive, whole basketful costing only few cents.
 The button, which is the dried fruit of the plant, is fuzzy and hardly ap- petizing in appearance. Peyote is the Spanish name for caterpillar ,>ld the name was applied because of the fur ry appearance of the button.
 The fruit has been made the subject of careful study by government ex- perts and while thsy are completely