The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-08-09
Slowly Their Story Is APP
preaching Its Conclusion, "
He Says, 'and the Red
Race Is to Lose Its Iden-
tity-Give the Indian a
Chance" How One Of
Them made Good"

ability, and his eIoquenee brought him
many compliments from white orators.
Apushmataha knew more about the geoE-
raphy OF the Southwest than did Andrew
Jackson and the engineers OF the army
You are wrong he once told Jackson
and then with a pencil and q piece Of
paper drew an accurate map Of Texas
and Northern Mexico.
why He scaIped His Enemies
Also I mentioned fidelity and honesty
as traits OF red character. An Indian IL
faithful even after he has been trlcked
out of his rights and property. He Is
honest, inherently, and his word f. good.
Against him. as ! know, is the charge Of
cruelty. Scalping. however. was a detail
in his bookkeeping. killed so many" he
would report to his chief or his Village
and then would clinch the statement with
proof and claim his reward. White men,
the best Of them. are required to give
bonds and do work under written specih-
cations. Besides, scalps were taken, ordi-
narily. after death had occurred
Now l do not paint the Indian as be-
ing a perfect. though a rude character
There are good Indians and bad ones. just
as there are good and bad white men
Some Indians are thrifty and some
are improvident: some are industrious
and some are not: some are smart and
some are dull. An Indian. and that is all
claim for him, is a human being capable
Of remarkable development. Samuel Ely
Parker-he was no relation OF mine, by
the way-was a fuIl-bIoOd Seneca. He
studied civil enEineering and success
fully practised his profession at Galena,
Ill. Grant knew him and made him
member Of his stan and his secretary.
After the civil war. he was an oficer in
the regular army.
Another Parker-Ouanah the rouoap
che chief-lived in fine house and owned
thousands Of cattle and hundreds OF
horses. The Southwest today is filled
with successful Indian business men,
lawyers. preachers, physicians and teach
ers- They helped to write the constitu-
ton of Oklahoma and in all mOdesty. let
me add. that was among their number,
When the Jesuit missionaries came .
Canada in the sixteenth century they
found Indians who were opulent in furs.
| being fOrehanded men. and Indians who
were incOmpetents and spendthrifts
The Indian has travelled up and down
the road OF human experiences in bust
ness and self-gOvernment and ne is ca
pable Of self-government, I wan, to ten
YOU. PrimitiveIy. he was a communist.
White men are still practicing his aban-
doned experiment. Then he came to
perceive the sound philosophy Of private
property. His weapons were his own. He
made them and used them. for himself
as hunter and for his tribe as a pat
riotic member
In the social principles OF his living
he was the equal OF the white man. And
that Is the seed >Of my arguement Give
the Indian a chance. Don't treat him as
child. Let him live on his land. with
a deed OF II between the leaves Of his
Bible or hidden away in his closet, and
he ~
permit him to sell the surplus and buy
machinery and live stock. There will
he failures-all white men are not mil
lionaires-but the Indian question, as 10
is called. will be closed"
tCopyrizht 1914. By James p Mo77rSl