Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1914-05-08

found proof that when men go, 10 the
work of finding fault and of making
accusations they should be sure of
their ground.
One Serious Misstatement.
Perhaps the men who charge viola
lions of the civil service and other
things IN the Philippines are sure of
their ground iii some cases, but IN one
case at least they made error and seri-
Gus error.
Recently in a letter which was given
wide publicity a former official In the
Philippines who held Office under two
presidents said: Fifteen American
heads of divisions in the bureau of
posts alone have been removed" This
was rather startling charge and the
answer to it was Immediately pre-
pared Here 1t is as it comes from
high officer of government:
"The value of statements loosely
made is apparent when the facts are
set forth The truth is that in the bu-
reau of posts there are but three di-
visions, the postal division, the tele-
graph division and the postal saving
division, and the further fact is that
one of these three division chiefs has
resigned"
The question of the "FilipiniZation"
of the service in our eastern islands
enters largely into the matter which Is
now the subject of controversy. Both
Republican and Democratic admins
trations promised that worthy Filipi-
nos should be given Office in order that
home rule might be established to as
great an extent as possible and that
the Filipino people might be made to
feel that they had every chance to ad-
vance in their own service. The
thought Of course always has been to
prepare the Filipino for ultimate indie
pendence.
Now the charge is made that the
Democrats in Filipinizing the service
have shown favor and have given ad-
vancement to those Filipinos who we're
educated under the Spanish rule, who
are rather aristocratic in their ten
denotes and who do not truly repre-
sent the common folk of the islands.
The answer which has been made
to this charge is that while 1t Is true
advancement has been given to the
better educated Filipinos, men who
got their training under Spanish rule,
the appointees are patriots devoted to
their country and that moreover their
appointment was natural, because the
class from which they come is the only
class which as yet Is sufficiently edu-
Gated to supply men for the higher po-
sitions of government.
Views of indians Asked.
Secretary of the Interior Franklin
K. Lane has submitted three questions
to several hundred Indian wards Of the
government. The Indians who have
been asked to answer the questions
reside on different government reser-
vations all over the country. Here
are the questions:
l. Do you think it would be a good
thing for you to have your property
and be independent Of the Indian pu-
reau?
2. What reasons have you for think
ing so?>
g. What one thing should the gov
eminent do for the Indians that it is
not now doing?
1t is Mr.. Lanes desire to find out
what the American Indians them
selves think should be the policy Of
the government toward them. The
mailing list used by the secretary per-
haps is not ideal, for undoubtedly the
letters have gone to class of men
upon whom the white or agency in
fiuence may be strong. Yet with all
allowances the writer's exhibit so wide
a diversity of opinion that the au-
thors must be accredited, as a class,
with doing their own thinking.
View of Younger Indians.
The younger and better educated IN
dams urge that the only possible solu-
ton of the Indian problem is to let
each Indian solve it for himself. They
deprecate the old tribal laws, customs
and ways of living, the influence of
the chiefs and the patronage of the
government and are anxious to have
all Indians adopt white civilization
Writers who express these views say
that the Indians are irresponsible chill
dren mainly because the government
has always cared for them; that the
government cannot treat them as
wards forever and that they will make
little advance as long as full citizen
ship and individual responsibility are
withheld.
Those who take the opposite view
hold that Indians are Indians and
must always remain so; that since the
government has taken their land it is
under a moral obligation to support
them forever. Secretary Lane says
this group represents a small reac-
tionary minority, made up almost
wholly of chiefs, headmen and full.
bloods of the less progressive tribes
who, while still holding this view, re-