The daily progressive-miner., 1916-03-25
Annette Island Council Takes
 Exceptions
FATHER DUNCAN AND HIS METLAKATLA INDIAN
 CONVERTS
To the Editor of the Ketchikan

Progressive Miner:
 ' The Mayor and Council of Met lakatla on Annette Island, Alaska have directed me to take notice Q Ig ths article. written by Mir. Franl c. Carpenter, on Father Dunean' work. which appeared in the issu, of the Washington City Star O February Is. 1916. and which als' appeared in the other papers d the country.
 II We have read the article 1T { question. We're it not fer the wrone impression that it has left on ths mind of the readers as to the prop CT course of affairs here at Met lakatla, we would have passed this article unchallsnged as we have done many times before wher Father Duncan's work was describ- cd and exaggerated upon by per sons who meant well but who did not know the situation well.
 The article referred tc above states that in spite of Father Dun cans protest, and in opposition to him. the Government has come in- to the Meslakatla community. es- sablished large public school for the Indians. the result of which was "a division of opinion among the Meslakatia Indians as to which theory is the right one, and the friction at present existing Is not good for the community" The not ct writer quotes Father Duncan as saying that the MesIakatla Indians should be treated more like child ren. and that their education should be almost altogether 3 re- hgious and industrial one.s
 The inference is that the Gov emment should have left Father Duncan ard his Indians entirely alone; that there should have been no interference whatever by any one Tn his work, and that his course of treating the Indians like child rsn. after all his. many years of labor with them, was the only cor rect course
 The Council of Metlakatla wishes 10 ssate the facts in regard to this matter, and these facts are recorded and they can be substant lated ag the office of the Governor of Alaska at Juneau, and that of the Secretary of the Interior at Washington. D. C
 After Father Duncan failed to fulfill the requirements of his mis- sion 10 the MetIakatla Indians be- tween the years 1887 and about 1907. the Indians began to make complaints to the authorities in regard 10 him and his school work. These repeated complaints resulted in series of investigations, con- ducted by several officials of the Government. on the general af- fairs. particularly or the school af- fairs of MetIakatla- The officials that conducted these investigations al different times before the fall of 1913, were special agent of the Interior Department. the Chief of the Alaska Division of the Bureau of Education, the Secretary of the Interior under the preced- ing administration, and two of the governors of this Territory.
 It was proved at these public hearings that the complaints of the Indians against Father Dun cans methods were well grounded and deeply rooted. Every fnvesti- gation by these officials always ended with an urgent demand by the Indians of MetIakatla that the disoouragIng and deplorable con ditions existing in the life of the Indians in regard to their educa- ton, religion, industries and the daily welfare of their community, be made better.
 Father Duncan claimed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Metlakztla- The whole thing was gotten up by 2 few black guards and @maIcontents."
 The Indians on the other hand always pointed out 10 the author tics the different wrongs that Father Duncan deliberately com rnitted, wrongs that have already spoiled his work, wrongs in which persOns, regardless of their repu- tatfon ard station in life. were amerable to the laws Of the land. These wrongs that were perpetrat- cd on the community of MetI1katla,