The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-11
Frederick Haskln's Letter
The Silk Clad Indian.

OF congress, pointing out thar al
though citizenship appears M
given to the Indian with the an.
ment of public lands, there i
string to it. A patent TO the Ia
in fee simple is not granted nns4
% years have elapsed. so that ~
Indian owner is kept from citizsr
ship for that length of time
A Sioux Indian presented hirss.u
at a registration booth for h. =
lectiye draft during the late va.
Are you an alien?" he Va
asked
mo, l was born in the Unlfss
States" he replied
Then you are a c;tizeng"
mo, l am not a citizen"
What are you?"
81 am an Indian. AlthoDsb ?
was born in the United States !
have not the rights OF an alien. M,
have l the rights Of a citizen NJ
father is a full blooied Sioux chiaf
l am a male between the ages Of "
and 81, and must present myself
for military service"
Fine Indian Var Record.
A report OF the commissioner Ct
Indian affairs estimates that 0vsr
5000 Indians entered some bransb
of the military service during the
World war, and that fully 5000 n
these entered by voluntary enlist.
ment. 1t is also stated that Of the
1913 Indians registered by draft
boards, only 22S sought deferred
classification or exemption.
Brigadier General Enoch H
Crowder, provost marshal general
in his report to the president On
the seIective draft, declared that
"as the raising Of the army pro-
ceeded aud the organizations en-
tered upon their transit oversees. It
was seen that the traditional apt
tude of the Indian race for the mill
tary career was being verified and
that the men Of this breed were
nobly showing their zeal for the
great cause" He quoted from the
official A. E. F. newspaper, the
Stars and Stripes, the following:
ut was the Prussian Guard
against the American Indian on the
morning of Oct. in the hills Of
Champagne When it was all over,
the Prussian Guards were farther
on their way back toward The
Aisne, and warriors Of l3 Indian
tribes looked down on the town Of
ST. Etienne The Indiaus-Ons
company of them fighting
with the 36th division. made up Of
Texas and Oklahoma rangers and
oil men, for the most part Tia
Millionaire company was the title
that had followed the Indians from
Camp Bowie, Wyo., and there fol
lowed them also a legend OF Sl09]
checks cashed by the Indian buck
privates-Of priyates who used %
spend their hours on pass in T.
cylinder motor cars.
In connection with the Indian IN
the Civil war, Dr.. Dixon tells The
following story:
Indian Ended Civil War.
ut is related by DR.. George
Haven Putnam that when Gran.
and Lee had gathered at App0mat-
tox, in arranging the details Of the
surrender, Grant looked about tbe
group in the room, his eye falling
on General John Morgan, brigad9
commander who had during The
last few months served on Grants
staff. General Morgan. I will ask
you said Grant, as the only real
American in the room, to draft ths
paper Morgan was a full-blJOdsl
Indian belonging to the IroQloi5
tribe of New York. Thus it vas
that an Indian joined the hands Of
the north and south after more than
four years Of bloody strife
There were a large number OF
Indians who enlisted in both the
union and Confederate armies. A!
the present time there is a post Of
the Grand Army of the Republic On
the MenOminee reservation n
Wisconsin, composed entirely Of
Indian veterans os the Civil wa.
Many of them wear decorations CT
honor for bravery in battle
The Indians now are scattered u
80 of the As states, and are com
prised in 1S9 tribes They number
about 100000, and their numbers
are actually increasing, according
to the Indian bureau.