Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20


dence Of character 1t is, of course al
ways necessary to protect the weak
against the strong. but this character of
supervision should be administered with
deliberate judgment and careful discre-
ton.
I'm the very first speech I made in
Congress I gave voice to the following ex-
preston: When an Indian or any other
person reaches the point of intelligence
at which he is competent to think and
act for himself any further attempt to
supply the demands of his life or stand
sponsor for his acts simply stimulates
the Incidence in the nature Of that indi-
vidual and destroys such Independent and
initiative character as you have been able
to construct
This statement Is applicable to prop
er treatment Of what 1 have already de-
nominated living human problem and
during the many heated passages that
have taken place in House debates on In
dian affairs I have never yet felt the ne
cessity of receding one iota ON the prin-
ciple set forth in that statement.
Another statement made to our COM
mittee by Mr.. Meyers, Mr. Montague or
some other educated Indian was as fol-
lows: Pointing to decorative plant in
the room, he said: That plant in the at
mosphere of this room is flourishing but
set it out on the lake front in winter and
it would be blasted by the cold. Set 1t
out in summer and it would wither under
the suns hot rays; but If in its infancy
1t had been planted out of doors no doubt
OF would have grown up possessing suff1-
cient vigor to withstand the cold of win
ter and heat of summer. That is what is
wrong with your treatment of the Indian.
There is too much hothousing.'
80 far as the Five Civilized Tribes
are concerned their affairs have been
booted about for one cause and another,
often in the self-serving interest of some
person who thinks, or pretends to think.
he is doing them friendly service
IT have in my own mind clear con-
ception of what I think should be the
solution of their so-called problem, but
when it is presented you Will find arrayed
against it every selfish employe of the
Oklahoma Indian bureau, and they will
be able to call to their aid many OF the
professional philanthropists and misguid-
ed sentimentalists throughout the entire
country.
y
The difficulty with the Indians in my
district is that they are land poor. Every
allotable area Of 800 acres Of good agri-
cultural land. In a family of five. this
amounts to 1000 acres In most in
stances, when this land was allotted. espe-
cially to the restricted Indians, it was
in it's virgin state, the soil unbroken. the
timber still on the land. and with no
improvements whatever. The Indian had
no tools, teams, agricultural implements
or other accouterments necessary to plac-
ing his land in productive state. and he
was prevented from leasing for more than
twelve months With his tribal funds
all tied UP in the Treasury at Washing
ton, and restrictions preventing any
hypothecation of the land, he is indeed In
a helpless condition.
What would you think of a white man
who, upon the marriage OF his son. would
present to that son $40 acres of raw, un-
improved land, furnish him no agricul-
tural implements, furnish him no teams.