The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-06
THE new INDIAN
THE Topeka STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
BY Frederic j. Haskin. Director
Warrington D. c.


Baker has announced himself opposed
to it. He does not believe that the
various nationaiities and races that
constitute the American people should
be separated in service, but shoulu all
fight as Americans.
This is a disappointment to many
people who realize that the Indian is
a born warrior, would make a splen-
did soldier if properly trained. and
would find in it a useful and congenial
occupation.
AS a matter of fact, the number of
Indians availab BILE for military service
is extremely small There are only
10000 American Indians, located
principally turnout the west and mid
die west; of these only about 40 per
cent speak English. Even of this 40
per cent about half are women, while
a great many more are either under
or over the military age limit or for
various reasons incapacitated.
The war department, therefore, is
not disposed to favor any plan calling
for a special mobilization of Indians.
All Indians of military age will reg
lister the same as other American
males. Many students in government
Indian schools have already gone into
training in various military organiza-
tions.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is also
Indian as a race rather than an indi-
vidual- Commissioner Sells has recent
ly started campaign to overcome
this very feature. Mr.. Sells believes
that the time has come when the In
dian should be emancipated and alb
Sorbed in the national melting pot the
same as other nationalities and races.
There is a large number of Indians
capable of getting along without
guardianship of the United States gov
given a chance. From now on it is
Mr.. Sells declared policy to make
citizens of all Indians who are ready
for the privileges and responsibilities
which citizenship involves. In deter
mining which Indians are competent
to exercise the rights of citizenship,
the following facts will govern.
If an Indian is of more than one
half white blood, other than in ex-
ceptional cases, he will be given full
charge of his affairs, including his
money and property, and the govern
ment thereafter withdraws it's super
vision of him. He may stay on the
reservation or go out into the world,
at his pleasure. He is a free man.
Now to all Indians of one-half or
more Indian blood the same privileges
will be granted when, after thorough
| investigation, they are determined to
be as competent to manage heir own
aIIdlrS as the average White man, eX
cept that it will be the rule to with
hold patents in fee to 40 acres of land
belonging to each Indian, so that he
may be insured a permanent home.
In addition to declaring competent
and giving patents in fee to adult In
dams. Commissioner Sells has estab-
lished the practice of giving patents
in fee or competency certificates to
graduates of non-reservation Indian
schools giving the full course of study
| who are twenty-one years of age and
have demonstrated competency to
| manage their own affairs
On being declared competent, the
Indian will receive not only the en-
tire control of all his individual In
dian money and property but his in
terest IN tribal funds will also be paid
to him. In the United States treas
ury at the present time there is a
large sum of money which the new
policy of Commissioner Sells will
cause to he distributed. This money
| Will be withdrawn from the treasury
and their pro rata shares paid to all
competent Indians, while the shares of
/ the incompetent Indians will be with =
/ drawn and placed in banks. to their
/ individual credit to be expended for
the benefit of the Indians under the
supervision of the superintendent of
their respective reservations.
Along with these new privileges,
/
sponsibilities. For example. he will
| have to pay for his children's school
ing For many years the government
has been educating at it's own expense
Indian children who contain in some
cases as much as three-fourths white
blood and whose parents are wealthy.
! sometimes there were adequate public
school facilities in the immediate vi
c1n1ty of their residences but the par
entS preferred to send them to the
! .
OF the government. Now, according
TO the new ruling, such children shall
not hereafter be enrolled in govern
ment Indian schools supported by
sratuity appropriations, except on
payment of actual per capita cost
and transportati ton"
| From this it may be seen that the
principal idea of Commissioner Sellss
| new policy is to adopt the Indian as a
cltlzen as fast as he has demonstrated
his ability to manage his own affairs
and enter into competition with the
white man. There is second and no
less important idea in the policy 1t is
10 increase government supervision of
incompetent indians, giving them even
greater protection than heretofore
and by closer administrative helpful
ness hurry them on the road to citizen
ship.
During the past few years, rapid
strides have been made in the admin
istration of Indian affairs.
! This country once belonged to the
Indian, he had fought valiantly to keep
it, put the white man eventually con-
quered him. The white mans civiliza-
ton Supplanted his own and he tried to
accept it, but in many respects it had
not proved beneficial Bad sanitary
conditions, disease, and whisky have
killed thousands of Indians.
Education was the obvious remedy,
but not an easy one to apply. The In
dian was suspicious of the white mans
schools even as he had learned to be
suspicious of the white mans prom
ises. He didn't want to go to school
1t took years to win the Indians con-
fidence and put him on his feet, but
the thing has at last been done. The
government Indian schools today are