The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1920-06-18

dams and giving even closer atten-
ton to the incompetent Indians. that
they may the more readily achieve
competency. Broadly speaking, pol
icy of greater liberalism will hence
forth prevail in Indian administration
to the end that every Indian as soon
as he has been determined to be as
competent to transact his own busi-
ness as the average white man, snail
receive full control of his property and
have all his lands and moneys turned
over to him, after which he will no
longer be a ward Of the government.
"This is new and far-reaching
declaration of policy. 1t means the
dawn of new era in Indian admins
tration. 1t means a at the competent
Indian will no longer be treated as
half ward and half citizen. 1t means
reduced appropriations by the govern
ment and more self-respect and indie
pendence for the Indian. 1t means
the ultimate absorption Of the Indian
race into the body polftlc of the ma
ton. 1t means, in short, the begin
ming Of the end of the Indian PROP
lem. In carrying out this policy,
eherish the hope that all real friends
of the Indian race will lend their aid
and hearty cooperation"
AS fast as they become competent
the Indians are placed on individual
footing, receive fee patents to their
H4,1r
pursuance of this policy 1O,956 patents
have been issued In the last three
years, more than were issued In the
! preceding ten years.
No matter whether the Indian gets
the franchise or not he is rapidly be-
coming q factor. in the nation. Here
are some facts indicating his progress:
AS to the present-day educational,
social, and domestic conditions Of the
Indians, it appears from~Commissioner
Sells report that $1,000 out Of $4,000
eligible children are in school; that
I $4,000 out of $4,000 families live in
houses; that there are only 236 polyga-
nous marriages; that 113, 900 Indians
are churchgoing; that 10000 speak
English; that $1,000 are literate In
English; that $4,000 wear citizens
clothing; that 10000 are citizens, and
that $4,000 are voters.
The United States has reserved to
them some 60,000,000 acres of land,
which if brought together would make
region more than twice as large as
the State Of New York. 1t is very
conservative to say that this land Is
worth $963y000,O00.
They raise about 81, 100000 worth
of crops, sell about 100000 worth
of live stock annually without depict
ing their flocks and herds, gather in
about $5,0O0oO0 a year from brother
whiteman as landlords, sell about a.
! 100000 worth Of land a year, receive
about $1,7OOOO0 a year as interest ON
trust funds, 100000 on treaty account,
and, in the last fiscal year, about $780,
COO 600 more from Indian money, min
eral royalties, and hard work, the
latter item alone amounting to about
100000.
More than $1,000 adult Indians are
now self-supporting and less than 5000
able-bodied adults receive rations with
or without labor equivalent.
In fact, the Indians as class are
now so prosperous that they were
able to invest about $25, 100000 in LIB
erty Loan bonds, or approximately $40
per capita, which is far better than the
per capita showing Of many OF the
States. besides Investing about $1,OOO'-
600 in War-Saving stamps.