Evening star., 1933-05-09

81 900 ,o0o, 900 in round flgures+not a
bad return on an original investment
of q little over $7,000,O0O.
Operation Of Railroad.
TIE United States Government has
built and now owns and operates q
railroad in Alaska, 479 miles in extent
We also own two steamships. One, the
North Star, operates between the water
terminus of this railroad and Seattle,
thus providing for freight and passenger
traffic between ports in Alaska and the
United States proper and as far North
as Point Barrow In the Arctic Circle.
The other, the Boxer will ply between
ports in Alaska, carrying medical sup
plies, fuel, etc.
Besides fostering important CONNER
cial salmon and seal fisheries already
| mentioned, a comparatively new Gov
ernment enterprise in Alaska has been
the development Of a reindeer herd for
| the benefit for the natives. This herd
is now estimated at 100000 head
Hawaii, while technically within the
| jurisdiction of this department. Is prac-
tically self-supporting, and except for
the appointment Of governor by the
President is in effect independent ad-
ministratively of the Federal Govern
ment
The Virgin Islands, originally pur-
to the Interior Department from the
Navy Department in 1881. The de-
partment has purchased land in the
islands for homesteading and is engaged
in readjusting families on the land in
| the Island Of st. CroiX. Our chief con-
Germs are to make these islands eco
nomically self sufficient, to raise the
standard Of living and to improve the
system Of education. Serious problems
are presented here, but we are hope
fully trying to solve them.
| Varied and interesting are the COM
ponent parts Of the Department of the
Interior already enumerated. We come
| now to two bureaus which are more
appealing to the imaginations of a
| greater number Of people than any OF
the other activities within our jurisdic-
ton. refer, of course, to the Bureau
Of Indian Affairs and the National Park
Service.
What boy has not felt repeated thrills
as he has listened to tales of the orig
inal Americans or read the pages OF
such book as The Last of the Mo-
hicans?" Generally speaking, we have
been taught to regard the Indian either
as highly romantic, noble figure OIL
as cunning and revengeful savage
We have not, at any rate until re-
Gently, looked upon him as. a fellow
human being. Because his habits anC
customs and religion have been different
from ours; because he has spoken 8
different language; because he has pre-
ferred to live his own life and develop
his own culture; we have put him out
side the pale. AS the dominant race
We have pressed him ever backward
ruthlessly and greedily taking from him
his fertile soil and his rich resources
J Indians Widely Separated.
Now the Indians are herded in reser.
vations located in widely separated part!
Of the country. They are wards Of tht
Government and until new and more
humane concept Of our duties and re.
sponsibilities began to dawn on us no
many years ago, We resolutely kept then
outside our consciousness except wher
We saw them dancing and performing
always in roles inferior to the white
man. in our wild West shows. 1t wa!
no concern of ours If they lived il
sQualor and ignorance, restricted to in
hospltable areas whitfield out Of vas
domain that until the coming of tht
white man was theirs by immemoria
right of possession. If they were cole
and hungry and diseased it was theil
own fault. We did not know about tn,
under-feeding, to the very point of star
vation, Of their children. We did no
want to know. Why should our smul
self satisfaction be disturbed?
But gradually a different and more
humane attitude has been adopted b,
the Government toward the Indians
Slowly. perhaps even grudgingly, w
have come to admit that we have {
moral responsibility that We can NJ
longer evade. We have discovered Il
our surprise that the Indian is no
| only human being but. if given &
chance. hkeable and interesting hu
! man being We have found out tha
, there is something of value in tht
, culture of the American Indians. W.
know now that in the Southwest, no.