Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-02-14

Inc American imam NOS oniy ID
mixing = liar out Of those who
called his . dying race but he b
/ 5. steadily moving toward . wholly
self-suppotipg status. Indian pop
ulation in the United States rose
I IN 1910 TO- 36i. si6. . So percent
gain over 1880 and . long step up
! from the 10000 Of the 1900 census,
Four and a half centuries ago, when
paletaee conquerors first came to
North America. $4,000 Indians are
estimated 10 have roamed >oyer what
now is. the United States. -,...-t
The once great Indian eppire-af
bit obli,eratef by governmental adj
lministrtstioIf. which Secretary Of Way
; Stanton IN -l862 called a sink. OF
in.qpity Is composed of 200
tribes with landed estates totaling 54,-
! Floyd w. Larouche, field representa-
tive OF the Indian service. says:
There has come a resurgence Of In
dian culture, economy and Spirit
. the fruits Of. which no man can &C.
curatelg foretell. -, 49, $50,
Instead Of being. at the end of the
IRAN, as the sculptor saw him a few
decades ago: the Indian now is enter
ing a new and suspicious era-one in
which he has more to hope for than
at any time SINCE the white man land
ed on this continent"
To the Indians-once Savage enemies
the nation now looks for a contin.
gent OF its offenders 49, We"
More than 1000; of them .volup7
teered for service during the World
made citizens by. congress In recogni-
ton of tneir. patriotism by an act that
automatically subjected them to the
CONSUMPTION statute of 1910.
Important Characters
Since the hast tomahawk was laid
aside half century ago, The red man
has contributed figures like the, late
VIII Rogers, humorist and actor; the
the United States: the late Zane Grey,
author. of many western novels, and
jim Thorpe, gridiron, immortal and
OlympicS champion. ., ..,..
But it is to the public conscious
ness of Indian needs, aroused during
the last decade and a half" that
Larouche traces the essential founda-.
ton for the Indians new era"
The Indian reorganization act Of
1884. now the basic law of Indian
administration grew out Of a, long
crusade" he says.
John Collier, long an advocate of In
dian reform, was made Indian CON-
missioner In 1888. He defined his OBJ
jectiveS as:
l. To move the Indian toward eco
nomic sef-support, including restora-
2. To speed Ina settlement q In
dian tribal claims against the govern
ment. -"
8. To establish civil liberty.
4. To promote conservation of nat
ural resources in Indians hands.
-. To MISUNDERSTANDING the In
dian social heritage, protection Of In
ton -of-their arts and-crafts.
g. To decentralize Indian admins
tration and to recruit talent especially
suited to administration of the Indian
service.
The federal Indian office now spends
around $4,000 900 . year aid has .8,4I2
positions-many filled BY Indians. In
dian eia ooo e odU annually costs about
each year for operation of IS hospitNs
and IA santatoria.
But, says Larouche. "aSgenefaf ia
preston that the government is sup
porting the bulk of reservation Indian
population, through the office of In
dian affairs, either by gifts, pensions
or the regular issue OF rations, us
wholly mistaken" -. !.
Actually, the government pledged
itself to turn over TO Indians certain
lands and other considerations in re-
turn for the surrender by. Indians ol
vast vastly feater areas Of land" Larouehs
Are Self-Supperting
In the areas where Indians have
been permitted-to retain their holdings,
ing: It Is only Where he White man
failed to Keep his promises mat In:
dams nave become a drain on the
public purse. The present policy Of the
government Is to help Indians, to be
everywhere self-suppoStipg." -
Title to Indian lands generally Is IN
the United States government, which
a aolas ] < yssslfa Ae Fn&ans and
state. beA havk ,9 Alisdicvqn
over Indian of1enses on indian lands.
Federal courts have Jurisdiction in 10
major crimss, atpH matters aak I'm
died by Indian courts.
In many instances, Indians conduct
their own businesses on reservations
and indian co-operattyes are gaining
IN popularity. -.
HThe various states have dS1eSeHt
Flaws governing Indian matters. Some
states still deny Indians the franchise,
although the federal constitution clear
~ grants Indians the right g, vote" "
i SeS 3&)e amieA1 fhlA permit ooss..
tplete ffeedom Of woiShlb, thus peimtt-
fling the tribes to carry on al M Ey-
]sDase ednaS4Sf saDss q -
3rites seldom witnessed by thu ~
man. MXM
List bdals orFai,1 .
TO Be Held in I94E
FaiS dates on three cirG1 ~
8been announced as follows: 49,
eircuit-Lewts and Clarkf1n3
association, Helena, July 24ShnE 3: