The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1925-03-05
A Plea for Our indians.
miss Elizabeth Chute.)


of the advisory council of one
hundred on Indian affairs, to the
secretary of the interior, Hubert
Work, in her talk before the Fifth
District Federation of Women's
Clubs, made pertinent statement
that our one hundred year old
policy of paternalism followed in
regard to our $40, ,0GO Indians had
weakened rather than strengthened
the race.
That paternalism has proven
failure in the case of the Indians
goes without saying-a condition
and not a theory confronts Us.
This condition calls for abundant
relief in the form of all the neces
saries of human life. Suffering
from cold, hunger, and disease,
which has become the ordinary lot
of the Chippewa Indians every
winter, is particularly acute this
winter. Many families lost their
entire crop, excepting perhaps
some potatoes, last summer on &C.
count of the cold season and hail.
When one considers the fact in
many cases the entire amount of
the $50 per capita payment dis
tributed will no more than cover
debts to sympathetic trades peo-
ple-who have carried these bills
along till they themselves are on
the verge of bankruotcy-in some
cases this amount will not cover
their indebtedness-it can readily
be seen that this payment will not
60 very far.
Is not this real distress that calls
for the SIS, 900 set aside by the
government for just this emer.
gencya 1t would help relieve
much needless suffering.
Do we not owe these people
some redress, even if it be no more
than to pay them what is theirsa
These people whose present state
of unthrift is directly due to a
system of retardation. This sys-
tenn of rules, regulations, and su
pervision kept in operation through
the use of the Indians funds and
at great expense to the public,
would have stified initiative in any
race, and have destroyed a less
hardy one. Had the constructive
work inaugurated by Superintend
ent Ruffee long ago, to teach the
Indians practical farming, been
allowed to continue, the Indiar
problem would not now exist.
But this conscientious man was re-
moved and things retrograded'
This action is typical now as il
was then.
| Although all citizen Indians,
born within the territorial limits
of the United States OF America,
became citizens through the Act
of Congress of last June, the
guardianship and trusteeship still
remain in the bureau Of Indian
affairs. These new citizens live
where industries are practically
non-existent; where work of any
kind is not available for all desir'
ing it; where there is no oDpor
tunity for an Indian to get q rea
start. The daily wage for cutting
and hauling wood brings, at Raj
Lake, q settlement of 500 Indians,
$1.15 for a man, or $3.50 for q
man and his team. This does moi
. furnish human standard of liv'
ing. At Ponsford there is a fac
tory where it is claimed that helI
is needed and that good wages are
offered, but when Indians apply
the most they can get is $1.6O pei
day. The government ration, un'
wholesome, unbalanced, and in,
sufficient-issued perhaps to one
old member of a family of 10
furnishes a meager subtenance for
one week; the remainder of the
month an occasional rabbit is the
diet for many, or they must