Evening star., 1929-04-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.


The new Secretary Of the Interior
DR.. Wilbur, has announced new
policy for administration Of Indian af-
fairs, with the ultimate objective OF
civilizing the Nations wards, so that
the Indian Bureau may be abolished
within IS years. It centers in this pro-
gram:
"The fundamental aim Of the Blu
reau of Indian Affairs shall be to make
Of the Indian q self f-sustaining Ameri-
can citizen just as rapidly as this can
be brought about. The Indian shall nc
longer be viewed as a ward Of the Ma
ton, but shall be considered as po-
tential citizen. As rapidly as possible
he IL to have the full responsibility
for himself. Leadership should be given
the Indians, rather than custodiapship
The Indian stock Is of excellent quality
It can readily merge with that OF the
Nation"
All the world loves an optimist. This
Is indeed an "Injun" administration
with q good Injun," very much alive
second in rank In the Nation, and head
Of that body which even the new Am
bassador to the Court Of st. James once
declared ought to reform its rules, be-
come really civilized. and bear its own
responsibility for what the oratorical
fillibusters compel 1t to do.
Now that the Senate has been cap.
tured by an Indian, after the Indian
influence shall have tanned that tribe
the administration will proceed to re-
organize the nature Of the original In
dianS.
This is not the whim Of a new Sec
retary, but the ripened plan Of the
Board of Indian Commissioners ap-
pointed by Congress to consider the
problem. Secretary Wilbur hopes to
find his Job far easier than will Chief
Curtis that of tanning the Senate.
There are not so many Indians In
existence as there are people in the
City of washington. 1t costs q million
of dollars o month to take care of the
Indians. Congress refuses to let us
therefore, "the Nations wards" of the
National Capital, break out of the res
ervation and have a part in self-ad-
ministration until 1t tries it out with
the more tractable and fewer tribal In
dians. All Indians are citizens and
can vote, but does that argue that the
same liberty and authority should be
intrusted to the semi-barbarous Dis
trict Of Columbians?
The announcement, going into details
of the new policy, says: Viewed over
a term of years, the Indian agent. as
such. with his abnormal powers, shall
be dispensed with"
Maybs that will apply likewise To our
District Commissioners. too, but not SC
'r This is how such plan strikes one
of the old Indian agents, Leo Crane
who. in his book, Indians OF the En-
chanted Desert" remarks concerning
the Hopi Indians Of Arizona. over whom
he ruled for eight years as agent OF the
Government: -.
II could recall two abortive efforts
made toward the allotment OF tneSe
people In severalty: the scheme 70 nave
them accept parcels OF iano, many y
which were miles from WAFER, ano ,,.,a "
which it would have been Impossible
fcr families to subsist themselves, to
cav nothing of maintaining their sheep
and other stock. The first OF these
Allotment plans blew up in 1894, but the
b,lreau. welded to its allotment plan
was not deferred. A second and most
extensive effort died in 1911. aftel
friends OF the Indians plainly showed
the farce Of the proceedings, II they saio
nothing as to the inhunlan side
Of It.
"The average bureaucrat, admirine
the allotment acts, thinks that an In.
dams head may be jammed into .
regulation lathe, and, with a few twists
and spins, turned out q full-hedged
Midwest OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES such . mar
as Thompson Seton said needed com.
munity centers made for him to keer
him from becoming an inmate of ar
insane asylum. But It cannot be done
NV masters, with the speed of The
mimeograph that grinds out your TRADES
and exhortations.
X ~ \
However, 1t is not proposed to civilize
the indians in less than quarter Of I
century.
There are 5000 employees and oficiall
La the Indian Bureau, looking after ths
welfare of 355,901 Indian men. worner
and children with thelg billion d9llag!