Evening star., 1937-06-13
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

1887, suggests that suburban railroad
p.a.~; service in this vicinity
was not altogether
vs.. Railroad. satisfactory fifty years
ago as rapid transit:
"A lew days ago An animated contest
was held near Sligo. Md. between horse
men and bicyclers in which the horses
came out slightly ahead. A still more
interesting and novel match was that
carried out last Monday evening between
some pedestrians and B. & O. train
between Washington and Silver Spring
seven miles. Owing to the late heavy
rains the walking was not very good, and
for the first four miles the contest was
very close but on the down grade of the
turnpike, beyond Brightwood. the pedes-
trians rapidly gained on the train and
reached Silver Spring fourteen minutes
ahead"
Since the National Drill" says The
Star Of June 8. 1887. the craze for
v,., things military has struck
Aou'hi Vi Washington boys like cy-
Soldiers. clone, and the cry, Ma buy
me gun is hourly sent
sters who aspire to military renown. The
northwest part of the city seems par
ticularly affected. and all day long the
youths who are not languishing in school
spend their time in marching up and
down the streets mimicking the evolu-
tions and movements of the drill teams
They are rigged out in all sorts of uni
forms. Some have nothing in military
f1ylo h,If do ~ y,
lath for a gun; while others are well
equipped as miniature militiamen, with
wooden guns, tin swords and uniforms of
some cheap material. ornamented with
red tape and bright buttons. Their
movements are often amusing and at
tract many spectators. But among the
youthful Won Moltkes and Grants the
color line is not drawn to the tension
that 1t was while the National Drill was
in progress, and it is quite common
sight to see a sturdy youth of color
marching at the head Of a column OF
white lads, bawling forth his orders to
'fours right in as stentorian tones as his
small windpipe will permit Not all of
these soldiers are we'll drilled, but seem
to have been picked up for the occasion
and as a natural consequence there Is
great confusion in the ranks and a state
OF mind among the file bordering on
downright mutiny. Others of the boys
are quite proficient in the various move
ments and execute them with 4 skill
worthy Of emulation by much older SOL
diers.'
The best way to get rid of the diff
Guilty OF the Indian question" says The
Indian to oct u rid nf tho % Indi.n 70
Question, question itself. It was
with this end In view that
Congress passed the law to allot their
lands to the Indians in severalty. with
certain restrictions upon the power to
ALLEVIATE them for term Of years. In
time it is hoped the red man may reach
= grade of civilization where he will be
fit for citizenship When that day comes
there will no longer be an Indian ques-
tian, any more than a French question
or a German question or Hebrew ques-
ton. And the first step toward making
the American aborigine something bet
ter than food for carbine bullets is to
teach him respect for the rights OF prop
erty. At present he is communist.
Like most of his white brethren of the
same persuasion, he lives without work
and is quite willing to continue doing so
for all time. The first incentive to labor
comes from desire for the individual
possessions which are the fruits of labor
Until the Indian can be taught what it
means to own something he will never
be persuaded to own anything. The
tribal system, while it maintains COM
munism for its fundamental principle,
nevertheless throws the bulk of authority
in matters Of business into the hands of
the great chiefs who come practically
despots"