The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1913-08-01

ON HIS OWN RESOURCES IS NOW
Freely Talked OF BY the Men That
Are Interested In the Indian.
Odanah, WIS. July %, 1913.
he Editor of the Odanah Star:

To the Editor of the Odanah Star:
Dear Ashmun-
Owing to the intense Importance and sole
hope giving to the SO called Indians of all
climes of this United States, that will not
hesitate to have published letter received
by myself from the Hon. Congressman
Scott Ferris, Chairman of the new House
Committee on Indian Affairs enclosing a
copy of his answer to the Hon. Secretary of
the Interior, letter recently written to
him on the proposed final disposition of the
hereto even menancing Indian problem to a
happy solution has been Solved by those
wise heads now in charge, thus turning
down the recommendation of those favoring
a continuance of ancient tyranical methods
in vogue.
Respectfully yours,
Antoine Denomie.
The Hon. Scott Ferris letter follows:
Hon. Franklin K. Lane,
The Secretary of the Interior,
Washington, D. c.
My dear Secretary: N
! have just read your valued favor Of July
18th, containing many useful suggestions
regarding the Indian situation.
AS you know, the writer has been a
student Of these problems for many years
through actual contact with the Indians, and
I corroborate in no small part all you say.
Of course, ! am shakey on too many COM
missions, for~I. am fearful that they place
too many burdens on the Indians rather
than diminish them.
The paragraph Of your letter which speaks
Of Withdrawing supervision is very balm to
the souls of the people who know intimate
.ly of the questions. For example, my dear
Mr.. Secretary, the Governor of our State
is an Indian citizen, as is the Lieutenant
Governor, the ex-Speaker OF our Legislature,
and the first Speaker after Statehood. The
president of our Constitutional Convention
was an Indian citizen; three present mem
berS Of Congress from our State and one
Senator are Indian citizens. Our legal,
medical, and all scierti6c professions are
filled with Indian citizen, and they stand
oft times at the very head of the profession;
many of the leading bankers of our State
are Indian citizens as well.
What is really needed is, separation of
the ''real sure 'nuf'' Indians from the
white Indians. In my judgement this can
only be accomplished by per capita division
of their trust funds on the books of the
Treasury of the United States, and have
Congress issue to you the power to have a
competency commission to speedily, hon
orably and without fear or favor separate
the incompetent Indians. AS soon as this
can be accomplished, then turn over every
penny to the competent Indians that belongs
to them and place them on an equal footing
with every other citizen of the United
States; take from them every feature of
governmental supervision and let them
stand on their own bottoms, where most of
them will Be merged into society and into
the very walks of business, and in this way
an end will finally be pu: to the Indian
problem. ~
Of course, do not and shall not contend
that the incompetent full-blood Indians of
every tribe are<not entitled to departmental
protection, for this would be folly and
result in scandal. The trouble is the
word ssIndian' is no longer comprehen--
siye term; i: is applied to all Indians from
United States Senator down to the monte
playing, brech-clout, shock-headed, incom-