The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1894-11 - 1894-12

              VOLUME   XXIII.
HELPING    THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
NUMBERS 11, 13.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1804.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The results of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation!
How to keep Indian treaties without breaking them is an ever recurring dilemma that finds a new illustration in the Indian Territory.
More fully than any others, the five
civilized tribes of Indian Territory
have been treated as foreign nations. And yet the United States
has guaranteed them certain things
and by its relation to them as the
supreme government of the land is
responsible to them for other things
which it is impossible to perform.
These so-called civilized organizations of Indians, standing on the
letter of their treaty, prevent the
execution of public justice, defraud
the majority of their own members
of equal property rights and maintain governments that are not democratic or free. For the protection
of the Indians themselves, as well
as for the protection of its mails and
the life and property of its own citi
zen, the United States is compelled
to take a hand in their affairs and
regulate matters in spite of treaties.
Hon. Henry L. Dawes is chairman of a Commission that has been
laboring for months to induce these
tribes, or those who misrepresent
them, to put themselves upon the
plane of civilized people aud become incorporated with the United
States. Somewhat on the princi
pie that it is better to be the head
of a mouse then the tail of a lion
they have persistently spurned the
proposition. But it is largely because they then will be shut out
from making their periodical claims
against the United States as independent nations that they refuse.
This has been the living of their
politcal rings which monopolize
everything.
A lover of justice and the rights
of the people like Henry L. Dawes
could come to no other conclusion
than that the way to keep faith
with this people is to seem to break
it. And his fellow commissioners
agree with him and have so made
their report. It is high time that
the domination of the upper crust of
Indian society among these tribes,
which has usurped everything,
should be broken, and the way
opened for the freedom and development of the common peopk.
The various missionary societies
are not a little responsible for the
present state of things. It was
easier to work with the half-bloods,
who were many of them of fine
Scotch stock. Their children were
bright and did credit to themselves
and their teachers. Many of these
were sent east for higher education,
and supported by tribal funds,
mostly in southern colleges. And
missionaries gave their time and
strength largely to the growth of this
educated English speaking upper
crust, leaving the common people
practically uncared for. The American Board mission was the. least
a sinner in this respect. .They gave
considerable attention to the vernac
ular. And there has been of late
years an awakening to the importance of missionary work in the vernacular, pratit-ulai'ly by the Presbyterians who for the most part continue the work of the American
Board. But now the greatness of
the mistake is seen when it is too
late to mend it, at least for this
generation.
Dr. Hailmann, Superintendent
of Indian Schools, favors the policy
of his predecessor in regard to putting Indian pupils into the public
schools for education. The total
number so taught last year was 229. !
This is chiefly in the country dis- j
trict schools where the citizen In- I
dians and whites are found in the
same communities. As long as the
Indian does not pay any land tax
the Government pays $10.00 a quarter for each Indian. Effort is being
made to induce Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota to take the entire charge of the education of the
Indians within their states. We
fail to see how this could be done
on the reservations. The scheme
is not without its difficulties. One
is that the ordinary school director
finds it discouraging work to get
his pay from the United States.
He cannot comprehend the regulations. He gets tangled in the red
tape. Then it is difficult to maintain such good feeling between the
two races as to stand the strain of
the squabbles of their children at
the district schools. It can be
done, and it is very desirable that
it should be done, but the white
people of those mixed communities need much instruction. They
need to see that, outside of the tuition fees paid by the United States,
it is to their interest to educate
their Indians. .
INDIAN WOMAN'S MISSIONARY WORK.
The Woman's Society of the Moreau River church are waking up to
energetic endeavor under the leadership of a ivoman who daily studies
God's word and tries to live according to it. Through the influence of
Elizabeth Elk Head, the society has
decided to send delegates to hold
meetings at the different villages
along the river and in the homes of
those not interested in christian
work. Recently we went to the
Thunder Butte Village, Elizabeth
incited me to go with her. To facilitate travel, regardless of cornfort,the
box and seat are removed from the
wagon. We sat on an improvised
platform with our feet on the tongue. We spent the night at Bear
Creek where we made a few visits
and tried to comfort and help the
sick. Early the next morning- we
started on. Soon we are joined by
another wagon, in which is our delegate fully competent to represent
our society if the size is to be considered. Early in the afternoon we
reached the village. We were heartily welcomed and invited to dinner
by two women, one of whom made
griddle cakes, hoping to please me.
We hastened to our sewing and finished the quilt we were quilting before dark. In the evening we were
requested to hold prayers with a
sick woman. Such a comfor-less,
dirty home as she' lay in. ' Not a
window in the house.   She seemed
pleased with the little gifts that the
women took to her and thankful for
the meeting that we held there.
White  Tail and his wife invited
mc to stay in their home. They give
me the best they  had and seemed glad to he able to do it.    While
Eli and Ellen Spotted Bear were at
Bear  Creek,  this couple  attended
school faithfully  and joined    the
church.     During   the   service   at
which they were received into membership, their faces were a study.
They were so subdued and earnest
and their gaze was so intently fixed
on the face of the speaker as they
sought to understand  and remember his teachings. They have shown
that they realize something of the
meaning of the step they have taken for it was the beginning of a new
life to them.    Charles has cut his
hair and Emily has given up the
Dakota style of dress and some of
theuncleanliness. They have built a
house and have provided the horses
with a barn and  hay.    The morning that I was in their home, Emily read a few verses without hesitation from the 14th chapter of John
and her husband led us in prayer.
We met early in the morning for
the w-oman's meeting, so that we
could start for home by noon. This
was Friday so the school children
would return to their homes, and
tne   mothers wished  to get back.
We had a good meeting;  some of
the women had brought with them
clean  dresses  and tried   to  make
themselves look more tidy for the
prayer meeting.     Each took part
promptly, in the choosing of hymns,
praying and reciting Scripture verses.    The President read to us a few
verses from the closing chapter in
Matthew's gospel.    She said that it
was each one's duty to obey Christ's
words and that he did not mean only ministers and deacons and presidents of christian societies.    Each
woman who had God's word in her
heart, should try to teach some one
else to know of Christ.    Those who
gave us  entertainment  expressed
their pleasure in having us meet
j with them, urged us to come when
| we could and help the women there
! to have a woman's society among
I themselves.    We started for home
j by noon. By driving rapidly, bump-
ty bump, over all the rough places
until every muscle seemed bruised
and sore,we reached home by dark.
Elizabeth   remarked  on   arriving,
"It makes me happy to be able to
work:for' Christ and to carry his word
to those who do not know it."
Doha B. Dodge.
THE INDIAN TEKRITOKY.
It is practically determined that
; the present congress will do nothing
: toward reorganizing the Indian Ter
1 ritory, although the secretary ofthe
interior and the commissioner of In-
J dian affairs have recommended and
j the commission of which Senator
! Dawes is chairman that went down
I to. confer directly with the people
i have called the attention of congress to the necessity of immediate
! action. Senator Berry has introduc-
! ed a bill providing for the consolidation of the five half-civilized tribes
i under the jurisdiction of the United
| States and the organization of a ter-
• ritory to be known as Indianola.
1 This bill practically wipes out the
treaties that exist between the
United States and the Cherokees,
Choctaws, Creeks, Chiekasaws and
Seminoles, who now share the Indian territory and are practically
independent and foreign nations.
Senator Dawes has always been
a very ardent and consistent defender of the rights of the Indians and
therefore cannot be accused of any
intentional injustice in the reports
he presents to congress, although
it shows a condition of demoralization, corruption and crime that has
become intolerable and is rapidly
growing worse.    He says:
"Justice has been utterly perverted
in the hands of those who have laid
hold of the forms of its administration
in the territory and who have inflicted
irreparable wrongs and outrages upon
the helpless people for their own gain.
The United States put the title to a
domain of countless wealth and unmeasured resource in these several
tribes or nationalities, but it was a
conveyance in trust for specific uses
clearly indicated in the treaties themselves and for no other purpose. These
tribal governments have wholly perverted their high trusts, and it is the
plain duty of the United States to enforce the trust it has so created and
recover for its original uses the domain
and all the gains derived from the
perversion of the trust or discharge
the trustee. The United States also
granted to those tribes the power of
self-government. They have demonstrated tlieir incapacity to govern themselves, and no higher duty can rest upon the government that granted this
authority than to revoke it when it has
so lamentably failed."
"All the functions of the so called
governments of these five tribes, have
become powerless to protect the life or
property rights of citizen.    The courts
of justice have become   helpless  and
paralyzed.      Violence,   robbery  and
murder are almost of daily occurrence,
and no effective measures of restraint
or punishment are put forth to suppress crime.   Railroad trains are stopped and their passengers robbed within a few miles of populous towns and
the plunder carried off with impunity
iu the very presence of those in authority.    A reign of terror exists and
barbarous outrages almost impossible
of belief are enacted, and  the perpetrators hardly find it necessary to shun
daily intercourse   with their victims."
"Corruption   of the grossest kind,
openly and unblushingly practiced, has
found its way into the tribal  government.    All branches are reeking with
it and so common has it become that
no attempt at concealment is thought
I necessary.    In   one   of   these    tribes
! whose whole  territory consists of  the
| 3,040,000 acres of land, within the last
| few years laws have been enacted un-
j der the operation of which sixty-one
i citizens   have  appropriated   to  them
I selves, and are now holding for pasturage and cultivation, 1,237,000 acres.
This comprises the arable and greater
j part of the valuable grazing lauds belonging to that tribe.    The remainder
of that people, largely the full-bloods,
j who do  not speak   the  English  language, are excluded  from the enjov-
j ment of auy portion of this land, and
[ many of  them occupy the  poor and
| hilly country,where they get a scanty
living from such portions as they are
| able   to  turn  to   account."—Chicago
' Record.