The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-07-23
RED MAN NOW NO
"bURDEN"; CARRYING
HIS SHARE OF LOAD
Literary Dgest1

Corralled in few spots of the con-
tinent they once owned, and con-
fronted by the dissolving agencies of
civilization, the red men seemed, a
few years ago, to be on the verge of
extinction. Their white brethren were
preparing to weep at the bier, while
keeping an eye on the heritage OF oil
lands and other good things which
could not easily be transported to the
happy hunting ground.
But the Indians deceived many
whose thought was perhaps fathered
by wish, and, instead Of slowly fad
ing from the scene, they are reappear-
ing in force, with renewed energy, de-
Veloping ambition and determination
to learn something from their con-
querors as to race progration and
preservation. The Indian is no long
er one Of the white mans burdens,
If ever he was; he is amply able to
take care Of himself, and many OF the
race are literally rolling in wealth, if
not in motor cars.
Moreover, the Indian, though he has
not much reason for it when all is
said and done. is making a citizen
whose patriotism Is not consumed in
the pipe of peace. AS a race the red
men invested about $25,OOO,OOO in
Liberty Loan bonds. and sent 10000
young warriors to fight alongside the
white man in France. Taking lesson
from the invaders, the Indians have
increased in number from 28O,0 in
1890 to 900 in 1919 Theodore NJ.
knappen, writing in the New York
Tribune, holds that the Indians owe
| their regeneration to their conquer
| ors. He comments:
The contract of the two races. n
left uncontrolled, would have resulted
| in the humiliation of the red men
even after the tomahawk was buried
and the rifle rang no more in border
warfare. For several decades this
| harsh contact OF the higher with the
| lower race tended mercilessly to the
destruction OF the Indians, but thanks
to the efforts OF the later years to re-
invlgorate the race and educate its
| members to meet the conditions Of
what must be their Life in a white
mans country, they are gaining in
numbers and growing In ability to cope
with the changed environment
! Economically the Indians are fully
as well Off as the white race, taken as
a whole, and the per capita, wealth of
some Of the tribes Is much more than
that Of the average white man. Though
I they have lost a continent, they still
have plenty Of room, and we read:
The conquering race has reserved
to them some 100000 acres of land,
which If brought together would make
a region more than twice as large as
the state Of New York. 1t Is very con-
servative to say that this land is worth
1868. 0OO, 900. Moreover, there Is stand
ing on it timber worth at least ST.
100000, and the annual income from
the forests Is about 100000. Alto
sether the Indians are rated at about
100000 900. One way and another
they enjoy an annual income of s54,-
100000. as compared with a little
more than $4,000. 900 in 1890.
Besides the timber item just men
toned, they raise about $11 600, 900
worth Of crops, sell about s4.000.00
worth Of live stock annually without
depicting their flocks and herds, gath
, er in about s5.000.00O a year from
brother white man as landlords. sell
about s4.000.000 worth OF alnd a year.
receive about s1.700.000 a year as in
terest on trust funds. 100000 on
treaty account, and in the last fiscal
year, about S20.000,O00 more from In
dian money. mineral royalties and
hard work, the latter item alone
amounting to about 81 ,00o. 900.
The army experience Of the young
men has proved. for most OF them,
the most important educational factor
! Of their career. Commissioner Sells
refused to permit them to be grouped
, as Indians IN service units They
|. volunteered or were drafted as indi-
viduals and were allocated as such
to companies and regiments. The re-
suit was that for a year or two they
lived precisely the life Of the white
soldiers, with white men for compan-
ions. Many Of them were completely
regenerated in the service
"One Cheyenne. a typical no-ac-
count reservation Indian with long
hair" says an Indian superintendent
went to France, was wounded, gassed.
and shell-shocked. Was returned hon
I orably discharged. He reported to
the agency office, square-shouldered,
4 leve[eyed, courteous. self-reliant and
talked fntelligently. A wonderful
transformation and caused by contact
with the outside world. He is at work
Altogether 1t appears that the
= noblest savage Of them all has sue
4 cessfully won through from savagerv
l to civilization, and that we shall have
l the Indian with US for all time unless
/ with full independence and citizenship
b he should mingle his blood in the
great stream OF that Of the general
population OF the country. though 1t
is noticeable that at present only
5 about one-tenth OF Indian marriages
! ara with whites"