The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-01-28
Contact With the White Man"
BY Smith D. Fry.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 2s.--Stand.ng;
III the vestibule OF the twentieth CEN
tury and knocking at the door of the
impenetrable future; seeking knowl-
edge Of the fruit of the tree OF knowl,
edge; every man and every woman III
America should enter upon prelim.
mary course leading to higher edu-
cation by learning to comprehend the
meaning Of the command: Judge
not, that ye be not Judged.
Reflect and realize that the Ameri
can people have actually anihilated
All entire race OF unfortunate human
teings; first by reversing their kindly
disposed natures by repeated deeds
|of ingratitude and brutal ferocity
which made sayages of them; next
|augmenting their resentment of mum.
berless uncailed.for wrongs by In
flaming their brains with alcoholic
poisons: then forcing them to surrend-
err their millions and billions of acres
OF virgin soil at the point OF the sword
and at the muzzles of superior wear-
ons; and further deliberately robbing
them Of their untold acres Of noun
tain lands wherein nature had cached
the inexhaustible supplies OF gold
silver, copper and other ores which
have added to the iimitless fortunes
of their oppressors. Under the cir
eumstances it Ill becomes such an ,ag
gressive people to sit in judgmeAl
upon the deeds and purposes of the
peoples Of other countries,
Yet, 1t is customary for the people
OF this country to automatically and
lhndiplomatically Judge the doings ant
purposes of other peoples and othel
governments, from the court OF Sain
James to the junglcs of the Jolos II
the Philippines.
i These suggestive reflections hav'
been caused by careful reading o
an official report of a congressiona
COMMITTEE which has been investigat
ing the present condition of the few
remaining Indians; remnant dyinl
annually by the tens OF thousands, II
unsanitary environments; victims Q
tuberculosis.
!, On June 30. 1913, the congress
lereated . joint commission consistin
of two members each of the senat
, and the house Of representatives, t
investigate for and report to the cor
gress concerning the adWsability 9
i establishing. equipping and maintain
ing tuberculosis sanitarium In Ne'
Mexico, for tuberculosis Indians; tn
t fact having become generally know
that the white plague is claiming an
, taking the original owners Of thi
/ continent with tremendous annu,
s death rate.
! II is surprising to read in this Q
fetal report OF the joint commissio
that the total Indian population
now only 322,765; when 1t is genera
9 lily understood that the original pop
7 lation was about ten million trib,
! peoples who owned, roamed, and el
|. joyed the vast acreages, the moul
: tains, hills, valleys and streams an
the coast fisheries when Columbu
the Cabots and other adventures
sought, found. invaded and took pc
] session Of this new world.
The above contrasting figures {
! not show elimination, They point
T extinction, to determination and a
utilization.
!. Despite the fact that the writer hi
known the modern savage frontier
. dians in warfare, the fact exists tn
= the Indians were kind, gentle and he'll
full to the first white visitors. Exis
: ing conditions make the Russianiz
ton Of Poland seem gentle and kin,
the Anglican domination Of Ind
. Christ.like; and the Japanese rape
Korea saem tn he materially Rffe