Year: 1875

Interesting Lecture by Colonel BOu.


dInoi ON the CiviIized Indian


fChicago Inter-Oceanl


At the First Methodist Church last
evening Colonel Boudinot, of the Cher
okee Nation, delivered the lecture
which was announced for Monday
evening, but was postponed on account
of the weather. Notwithstanding the
weather last night was all that could
be desired, the lecturer, an orator Of
established reputation, and the subject
one i'm which the American people
ought to feel deep interest, the audi
ence was small, not more than half of
the seats being occupied.


Colonel Boudinot said that he was
present last August at the laying of
the cornerstone of an institution of
learning in the Indian TerritOry-a
normal school for the instruction Of
Indian children. 1t was to procure aid
for the founder of this great work that
he had come to Chicago. Being an
Indian, he considered it proper that he
should address the people on this sub
ject.


In the House of Representatives last
winter he was present at a meeting
where a negro presided over debate
on the rights and privileges of the In
dian. He could not help thinking that
these men who a few years ago were
slaves had been rapidly elevated to
positions of honor. But in this cOun-
try everybody had equal rights and
equal privileges-except the Indians,
the original owners of the soil. The
great question had been how to get rid
of the Indian. They were always be-
ing moved from one reservation to an
other, and each time the ground was
promised them so long as grass grows
and water runs. 1t was time to
change this policy. 1t was time for
the Indian to ask some permanent
solution of this question. Every In
dian clung to the land where his fathers
slept. No tribe was ever yet removed
from its original home with its own
cOnsent-except such consent as the
condemned criminal gave to the moose
which the hangman placed around his
neck. In New England the Indian was
once the subject of consideration by
the legislators, who gravely asserted
that the chief object Of the whites in
settling America was to benefit the In
dian by bringing him to knowledge
of the true God. Now the Indian did
not trouble those legislators. He lived
only in the Legendary and poetry of New
England. And the history of the In
dian was the same everywhere east Of
the Mississippi.


The Indians of America numbered
about 391 900 and occupied about 2OO,-
900 square miles of territory. OF these
50, 900 were civilized, $4,000 semi-civil-
lied, and the rest wild as when Column
bus first landed on these shores. The
fact that one e-fourth were civilized was
an answer to the Oft-repeated asser-
ton that it was impossible to civilize
the Indian. These have become civil
ized by contact with civilization. The
remaining three-fourths were wild
because they had been carefully
kept away from the white man.
blighting influence of white civilization
bringing the latter into conflict with
the former that the Indian question
could be solved. Better corral the
children i'm school houses than the
warriors in the reservations. If some
of the millions squandered by the gov
ernment i'm useless legislation could be
devoted to the education of Indian
children. the results would be seen in
one generation.


The speaker then briefly described
the Indian Territory its location it's
rich agricultural and mineral resources.
its petroleum wells, and plains of cTys-
taliZed sand.


1t was proposed, he continued, tore
move 10000 savages. the Sioux, from
the Black Hills to the Indian Territory
He asked the government to pause and
reflect before determining upon this
course. A treaty was made with the
Sioux in 1868 by which they were to
have the Black Hills forever. 1t was
absurd to send them to the Indian
Territory. The Indian Territory con-
tanned far richer gold mines than
the Black Hills. In twenty-five
years they would want that coun-
try 1t was bitter mockery to promise
that they should nevermore be dis
turbed. He was aware that all this
mineral wealth ought not to be allowed
to lie idle. The gold was needed, and
the white man ought to be allowed to
develop the mines. But in doing this
at least let fair and substantial Justice