Evening star., 1924-10-31
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

For the first time since William
Penn traded geweSws with the In
dians for Pennsylvania, the so-called
"savages' en- masse have risen to the
status of full American citizenship.
This comes through the passage by
the last Congress of H. R. 6355, ap-
proved June 2, 1924, by the Pre- sident
This law provides that every nom
citizen Indian born within the terri
torial limits of the United States is a
citizen of the United States and of
the State wherein he resides It is
provided that the law shall not re-
move restrictions on Indian lands now
under Government guardianship Nor
does it qualify the Indian citizen to
vote. unless the respective State laws,
as already on the statute books. or
when so placed by the Legislatures
can be construed to extend the fran
chiSe by reason of the Indians meet
ing all the restrictions thereon that
white citizens must meet-such as
property limitations or literacy tests.
Nevertheless. the Indians largely do
qualify in both property and educa-
ton, so that, under existing laws,
thousands will vote next Tuesday
who never voted before.
The fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution appears to the average
layman to be all-sufficient in recog-
nizing the rights of Indians, as well
as of negroes and whites, to the full
franchise. yet it seems to have failed
to cover many thousands of the red
men. 1t reads:
"An persons born or naturalized in
the United States, and subject to the
Jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of
the United States and of the State
wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States; nor
shall deprive any person of life, lib
erty or property without due process
of law, nor deny any person within
it's jurisdiction the equal protection
of its laws
Just how the provisions of that
amendment have left outside the
ranks of citizenship any Indian born
in the United States may be a mooted
question. Filipinos born and residing
in the United States are denied
citizenship, although they are clearly
Subject to the jurisdiction thereof"
1t is explained that If ever the Philip
pines are given their independence,
the inhabitants thereof will cease to
be under American Jurisdiction, there
fore they are not now under our per
manent" Jurisdiction, and are conse-
quently not eligible to citizenship.
But no party has ever proposed to
cede back to the Indian tribes any of
their ancient Independent holdings.
They are unquestionably under our
permanent jurisdiction" What has
kept them from the privileges and
immunities of the fourteenth amend
ment all the years?
X
Our total Indian population is about
$4,000, of which 100000 have been
recognized as citizens, for, as stated
by the Secretary Of the Indian Bu-
reau, there have been a dozen doors
ship" OF these citizens only 2e,73S
have had the right of franchise. It
is the disgrace of white citizens that
less than half of whites who are
eligible to vote exercise their fran
chise; how large a percentage of
Indians do 50 cannot be estimated,
but under the new law all adults
may now vote provided they qualify
as to property and literacy in such
States as apply such restrictions upon
all voters, Regardless of race or pre-
yious condition Of servitude"-or un-
civilization.
This new status of the Government
wards is not inconsistent with their
continuance of tribal relations, nor
does it interfere with Government
guardianship of their property, in the
case of so-called restricted Indians"
A restricted Indian" is one whose
property is safeguarded for his own
motection by the Government
against the overreaching white or
educated red man, who would rob
him, in his ignorance and childlike
trust. It refers only to his property
az being ''restricted"-not his person.
No Indian n, held within his reserva-
tion, unlesa He y = Deison. penalized