The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1954-08-27
Indian Liquidation Measure
Protested by National Body

OAASCA 0o "a 81, pIcSlucllt OIL
| the Association on American In.
dian Affairs, today made public
the text of q telegram addressed
to President Eisenhower and
also released a statement to the
press urging that the President
veto S. 2670. a bill to provide for
the termination Of Federal su.
pervision over four small bands
of Indians In the state of Utah.
Commenting on the Congress.
sional action on the bill, Mr.. La
Fargo pointed out that the bill
as introduced by Senator Wat.
kins would have affected six
small bands of Paiute and Sho.
shone Indians, total of 1853
persons in SO families. but that
the House of Representatives
eliminated two of the groups, be.
cause doubt existed that these
two bands "fully met basic cri.
terra" applied by the House in
its consideration of such legisla.
ton. MIR. La Fargo stated that in
fact the printed hearings show
that not one of the groups meets
the criteria.
The text of Mr.. La Fargc's
telegram to the President fol.
lows:
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The White House
Washington. D. c.
$3.50, q bill to terminate Fed.
eral supervision of four small
Indian bands in Utah. is a shock.
ing disavowal of our national OBJ.
legation. legal and moral. to
these tiny remnants of once
powerful tribes. Only IS families
Of full.blood Indians are affect.
ed. of which all but are on re-.
lief all or part of the time. &C.
cording to Interior Department
witnesses before joint commit.
tee. These families should be
!, protected and rehabilitated. not
cast loose. This Association must
vigorously oppose termination"
for such poor, backward. under.
privileged Indi:n groups. which
have expressed a desire to re.
tain Federal Protection. l i'm.
pl0re you to veto this bill.
Oliver La Fargo. president
Association on American In.
dian Affairs. Inc.
The full text of Mr.. La Fargo
statement to the press is as fol
lows:
1t Is American tradition not to
hit q man when he is down. but
that Is just what this country is
about to do TO some of the most
miserable and neglected Amcri
can Indians. unless President
Eisenhower listens to their fec
bic cries and to his own CON
science and disapprovcs bill
which was passed by the Con
gress last week. in the closing
days Of the session.
This bill is one Of those unim.
portant local bills. which draw
no great public attention. 1t AZ
fects only a very few Indians,
but its implications reach far be-
yond the groups directly affect.
! ed. The question at issue Is
whether or not Indians in SINH
lar situations in other parts OF
the country can expect the same
treatment.
$3.50 Is not q simple bill. II
IL an elaborate model" autho
rizing machinery for taking care
of the Indians property, II they
have any. But what It actually
accomplishcs It to take away tho
last hope from 1T uncducatcd
full.blood Paiutcs who live scat
tered around the deserts or In
small towns Of Utah. Its effect
Is to take from them their rights
to Federal help. to tax.excmp
ton for their land. to the FEEDER
al trustccship which protects
them against the sharks of a civ
ilizati0n they are not equipped
to understand.
All together they own $4,000
acres Of some Of the worst land
In the United States. Even nc
c0rding to the sponsors Of tho
bill. the joker Is that probably
oil can BE- found under some OF
II. and some Of II Is In lively
uranium and vanadium pros
I rccting territory. Living In four
little groups. IS to $50 miles
from the indian agency sup
posed 10 serve them. they have
been neglected and forgotten
The wonderful things the Grea,
| White Father Is supposed TO d.
for his Red Children just haven,
happened to them. The land,
they own will not support them
Most Of them are day.laborcrs
who earn about one.third to one
half as much a. their n0n.ln