The Tomahawk., 1919-04-24

M8Ty6 contract MISSION DOaIu1u8
school located at Red Lake and 101
attending the st. Benedict contract
mission boarding school located at
White Earth. Thus of the 787 Chip
pewa children educated In the schools
maintained by the Department and
the mission schools only 1877 attended
day schools. The annual report OF
the Commissioner shows that there
are $3.50 Chippewa children of school
age, and that all of the school funds
belonging to all the children of the
tribe are being used in providing
school facilities for less than 20 per
cent of the entire membership OF
school age. Such condition was
never contemplated by the agreement
of 1889, and this is the more repug-
nant when it is remembered that about
80 per cent of the fund Is expended
in the maintenance of boarding
schools, the management and conduct
of which is criticised and condemned
even in the Linnen report wherein
that report recommends that the
boarding schools be hereafter con-
Quoted along the lines upon which
the mission schools have been con-.
Quoted. AT page 500 of the House
Hearings this appears in the Linnen
report: r. 4. a 2@5
"said schools" referring to the
mission schools) should be visited
by those in charge Of the White Earth
Boarding school, and it is suggested
that they pattern thereafter as regard
cleanliness, system, order, neatness,
industry, and economy" -.
These boarding schools, which have
been the cause of much complaint,
should be, abolished. The State Of
Minnesota has the greatest school
fund in proportion to the population
of that State of any State. In the
Union. In every county in which the
Indians reside are to be found public
schools. If they are not accessible to
all a mere request upon the school
board, accompanied by. showing for
the necessity of an additional school
or schools, would be all that would be
necessary to provide additional school
facilities. In the Linnen report, p:
$50, it is stated with reference to those
children attending the White Earth
Boarding School: ~.
"The large majority, in fact. all but
about a dozen of the pupils In atten-
dance at said White Earth Boarding
School, reside anywhere from 4 to 20
or more miles from said school, so
that If said boarding school were
changed from Government to dis
trict public school It may readily be
seen that these Indian pupils would
not have the advantage of attending
same" H..
Within a radius of 20 miles from
White Earth in any direction are to
be found a number of public schools,
and the county and state stand ready
to establish additional schools II
needed. AS long, however, as the
Indian Bureau insists upon taking
these children from their homes and
putting them In boarding schools
there is no necessity for additional
public schools, and this practice has
retarded and prevented the establish
ment of public schools contiguous to
the Indians in every locality in Mime
sofa. .. ,. ,s::~ :
]. In dealing with this question 1t
would be improper to overlook or
ignore the statements appearing on
page 531 of the LINEN report, and
which are as follows: -.- =. =
TN connection with the assertion of
the legislative committee that the
State authorities were ready and will
ing to assume the burden of educating
the Chippewa Indian children, particu-
larly on the White Earth Reservation,
who are now attending the boarding
and day schools, we called upon c.
G. Schulz, State superintendent OF
education, at the capitol in st. Paul,
MINI. We had very satisfactory in
terview with Mr.. Schulz and explained
to him the work of education the
Government had been and was now
carrying on ON the White Earth and
other reservations in Minnesota. Mr.
Schulz was very frank in telling us
that the State had no funds or organ.
ization with which to take over the
work now being done by the Govern
ment, particularly to do the work now
being done by the boarding school In
providing not only schooling but food,
clothing, and medical attention for
the indian pupils. He realized. also,
that If the State should take over
the boarding school buildings for q
consolidated district at White Earth
village that there would be $50 or
more pupils now in attendance at the
White Earth Boarding School who
would be without any school facilities,
as their homes are not convenient to
district or Government day schools,
and in many cases II they were that
the home conditions and the means
of the parents would not permit the
regular attendance OF the children at
q district school"
It will be observed that Mr.. LINEN
carefully avoided inquiry Of the State
officials as to whether additional pub
lie lay schools would be provided by