The Nome nugget., 1934-02-17
THE MJKLJK TRAIL  s5-. (BY E. l.. BARTLETTl
 
(BY E. L. BARTLETT1

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 The Interior Department appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1885 pass ed the House yesterday with no changes so. far as Alaska is con cerned.
 During the days when the bill was being debated Delegate Di- mond remained constantly on the floor of the House. Mindful of an occasion before he was Dele- gate when member moved to strike out the entire appropria- tion for the Alaska Road Commis- sion Mir Dimond stayed on the Job, ready to fight against any move for substantial reduction of the Alaska appropriation. For tunately ana perhaps because of continuous presence there was none.
 Twice during the debate the Delegate rose to address he House Each time he urged that the federal government be more liberal in it's treatment of Alaska Indians. He pointed out that the amount expended on them per cap ita is substantially less than for Indians in the States. Mir. Dimond Indians, but it was defeated by the increasing by s10O.O00 the bud get figure for education of Alaska fairness or generosity, if you call administration forces, who had pledged themselves before debate began not to increase any item.
 In urging adoption of his amend ment the Delegate said, in part;
 "The native Indians of Alaska and I include the Eskimos as well as the Indians have never been treated with the same degree of fairnss or generos.ty, if yy;ou.~c cal, it that, as have he Indians of the United States. Under this bill the Indians of the United States who are in the ward status are given $60 per head for education Iand other relief, while in Alaska they are being given less than half of that They need the same help in Alaska. They need 1t there just as much as everywhere else, and I think in some cases l the necessity is perhaps greater. One of the troubles has been that ithe Indians of Alaska have been too patient. It has never been necessary at the end of war in wh oh a lot of people were kill ed to make a treaty with them, build schools for them, and take care of them generally, as has tbeen the case in this country In Alaska. as elsewhere, the people who have demanded the most have received the most. The 1n- dians of the continental United States have demanded a lot more than the Indians of Alaska and they have been accorded a great deal more.
 It is the duty of the govern menta to give them a fair degree of education 50 that they can meet the conditions with which they will be confronted in civ.liz- GU life. These are fine, upright, sturdy people. Theyare good cit 'zens, and they have the making ot better citizens. You cannot ex7ect much for the futu-a in the way of decent and right citizen ship from these people ir9 Alaska, whC are citizens of t.,e United tta.ns under the mandate of Gen. eress just as much as we are, un- less we furnish them facilities for eIucation. This has ro been done. Why can we not make a start now? I am asking only an amendment of this bill requesting an additional $100,0OO, and ~ in making this request I am sur pr.sed at my own modesty. If I did full justice to the Indians of Alaska I should ask for double the amount carried in the bill, but I realize that as a practical matter unless I make my de- mands modest I will not get any thing. But $10O,000. MT. chair