The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1897-10 - 1897-11

              The Word Carrier
o
VOLUME    XXVI.
HELl'IXG    THE    HIGHT,   EXPOSING    THE   WltOTfG.
N'UMHKIIS   10-11.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER, 1807.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR.
OUR   PIATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation'
INDIAN AFEAIKS.
The following items are a brief
synopsis of the Commissioner's Report just received.
The amount of government appropriation for the Indian service
for the current year is $7,431,620,
or $242,124 in excess of last year.
Of this amount Indian schools are
to receive $2,631,771. or an increase
over last year of $114,506.
Outside of the above $241,000 is
appropriated to the survey and re-
surveyof lands in Indian Territory.
This is in charge of the Geological
Survey.
The work of education in the f n-
dian schools has been that of development rather than enlargement.
The Indian office seeks permanent
rather than quick results in the uplifting of Indians to a higher industrial and social plane.
The attendance in 234 government
schools, for the year ending June
1897, has been 18,603, an increase of
814. The attendance in 35 contract
schools is 3,158, a decrease of 1,281.
In public schools having contracts
303, a decrease of 110. in Mission
Boarding schools 813, a decrease of
22. In Mission Day schools 87, a
decrease of 9. Total attendance
22,964, a decrease of 608. These
figures do not include schools a-
mong the New York Indians or tbe
Five Civilized Tribes, astheyarenot
supported by funds under the control of the Indian Office.
The effort to introduce the Indian
pupils to the public day schools has
not yet attained any certain success.
It was first attempted in 1890. The
rate of $10.00 per quarter was offered as an inducement to overcome
prejudices. Last year contracts
were made with 38 public schools to
receive 384 pupils. These were
located as follows: In California 2,
Kansas 3, Michigan 1, Nebraska 11,
Nevada 1, Oklahoma 14, Oregon 1,
Utah I, Washington 3, Wisconsin 1.
The government sustains 23 non-
reservation boarding schools, of
which 13 have the general school
course and 10 are of higher grade.
It sustains 73 reservation boarding
schools which are distributed as
follows : In Arizona 6, California 3,
Idaho 3, Indian Territory 2, Kansas
3, Minnesota 5, Montana 5, Nebraska 3, Nevada 2, New Mexico 1,
North Carolina 1, North Dakota 5,
Oklahoma 13, Oregon 5, South Da
kota 7, Utah 2, Washington 3, Wisconsin 3, and Wyoming 1.
Of day schools the government
has now 138 with an enrollment of
4,768 pupils, an increase of 18
schools and 553 pupils over the year
before. Fifty of these day schools
are in South Dakota, thirteen in New
Mexico and twelve each in North
Dakota and Washington.
According to the law of Congress
the appropriation for denominational contract schools for the current
year is only forty per cent, of what
it was in 1895. Outside of the two
independent schools, Hampton and
Lincoln Institution, which receive
grants direct, only $2,760 are given
to protestant schools and $156,766
to Romanist schools this present
year. The largest amount spent in
any one year on contract schools
was $611,570, in 1892. This is now
reduced to $212,954. including the
grants to Hampton and Lincoln.
The amount granted per capita in
the contract schools is $108. except
that Hampton and Lincoln have
$167 per capita by special grant.
The government has now between
three and four million dollars invested in Indian school plants. The
majority are frame buildings and
the yearly loss by tire averages
$30,000. The danger by five is considered greater than if the buildings
were used only by white children.
Coal oil lamps are a fruitful source
of conflagration and electricity is
being introduced to some extent.
In the land allotment business,
on the reservations 2656 patents
have been issued for allotments
previously approved, 2960 new allotments have been approved and 1441
more are reported but have not yet
been approved. On account of the
exodus of 550 Indians from Lower
Brule to Rosebud Agency the allotment at Lower Brule will be made
over again to redistribute the timber
lands. For non-reservation Indians
1,093 allotments have been made
and 1,036 approved.
Thirty thousand dollars has been
expended for irrigation ditches the
past year, on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, at
Fort Hall Reservation. Idaho, at
Crow Reservation, Montana, and at
Yakima Reservation, Washington.
The last named irrigation system is
paid for out of the sale of the fishery
belonging to the Indians. It will
provide for the irrigation of 50,000
acres, second in magnitude in the
State of Washington.
ln stopping the sale of liquor to
the Indians much help is expected
from the new legislation by the last
Congress. In following up liquor
cases in Oklahoma it has been found
that a pecular sort of a liquor ring
was in operation there. The saloon
man notified the deputy marshall
that an Indian had bought and
then the deputy marshall would
arrest the Indian and get his fees.
The Indian went to jail and the
saloon man went free. But in Nevada there is not only whiskey but
opium to contend with. Chinamen
are the law breakups in this case,
therefore conviction is easy.
The United States government is
still in the Indian show business.
But everything is done in a regular
way,wi th wages, medical attendance,
return fares and private morals insured. Buffalo Bill is the government's favored agent in this business.
Efforts have been made to put the |
New York Indians out ofthe clutches j
of the Ogden Land Company, but so |
far without success. It was propos- j
ed to buy back the leases that the j
Indians had granted them but the
no agreement could be reached.
The work of the Dawes Commission with the Five Civilized Tribes
has made significant progress, but
so much is yet to be done that no
complete report can be made.
A TKIP TO   HELENA.
The writer of this article is located
near the dividing line between the
east and the west being 736 miles
from St. Paul on the east and 735
miles from Spokane on the west.
Following the line of the Great
Northern Railway from Fort Bu-
for ! on the east to Bonner's Ferry
on the west, Montana is 697 miles
in length. One passing along the line
of the Great Northern Railway,
through Montana sees all varieties
of scenery from the rolling prairies
on the eas ,covered with many sheep
and cattle, to the lofty Rockies on
the west covered with forests of pine
and "eternal snows."
But changing cars at Havre one
takes a southwesterly course into
the more thickly inhabited and richer portions of the states. Having
left the Milk River valley he passes through a rather hilly country
until he reaches the Missouri river
again On his left and about a mile
from the railroad station he sees the
pretty little village of Fort Benton,
numbering now a few hundred inhabitants and lamenting the glory
of former days when it was the head
of steamboat navigation on the
Missouri. It is now supported by
stock men.
Next we come to Great Falls, a
beautiful town of several thousands
and with a bright future. The city
is situated about eight miles from
the Great Falls but on a series of
rapids which with the aid of man
afford splendid water power for run-
ing the smelters, electric cars and
lighting the city with electricity, etc.
The water power of this region is
not nearly utilized as yet. Indeed
the falls of the Missouri in this
region are like a sleeping giant
which when awakened to put on
his strength will do wonders. It
was Mr. Ferris, the contrivor of
the Ferris wheel at the World's
Fair, who said that Great Falls, on
account of its water power, was
destined to be one of the great
cities of this country.
The scenery between Great Falls
and Helena is beautiful nearly all
the way. The mountains are not
very high, but their abruptness and
steepness give them an attractiveness to the traveler. One lady in
the car said that they seemed like
mighty pyramids ' built of brick.
Many of the buttes have that appearance.
The Missouri river as it winds
in and out among these steep and
rocky mountains is not very large,
and is as clear as any mountain
brook. It shows no signs of its future when it hows through the
prairies, and properly called "Muddy water." At Great Falls it is
clear. At Fort Benton it is quite
clear yet.
Before one reaches Helena he
leaves the Missouri and ascends the
"Prickley Pear" valley. He passes
by the beauties of nature and sees
a rather unattractive country. The
scenery about Helena is not beautiful. The city is built on the site of
an old mining camp. Fifteen millions of gold was dug from the gulch
where now the main part of Helena
is built.
There is not much mining nor
smelting done near Helena mow.
That work is carried on more large
ly at Butte and Anaconda. But
Helena is a quiet, prosperous city.
Tbe days of its boom is over. It is
now the permanent capital of the
state after a hard fought battle. It
has a good class of citizens, many
beautiful and substantial buildings,
good chinches and good S'.-hools.
The state of Montana is not only
large in area but in resources.
Many parts of it are adapted to the
the raising of grain and even fruits.
Irrigation is possible and is being
accomplished in many parts of the
state. Its mountains are full of
coal, copper, silver and gold, and
other minerals. A stranger would
be astonished at, not the car loads,
but the train loads of cattle and
sheep whicli pass this point for
the Chicago market.
Irrigation at Poplar has proved
a marked success. We are having
coal dug from our hills. Our Indians here shipped 120 head of cattle to Chicago this fa 1 and sold
as many more in the home market.
This is the beginning of better
things for Poplar, and we expect,
to be the sharers in the future of a
great and prosperous state.
But as we seetheeffectsof irrigation,
changing this barren prairie where
scarcely any thing but sage-brush
would grow, into a garden of beauty
and plenty, the word "spiritual irrigation" dwells continually in our
minds. Along with temporal advancement must go the church of
Christ. Oh, that the people might
know the word of the Lord and de-
j light in his commandments ! Then
would God's blessing rest upon them
j and cause them to enjoy what they
j possess, and to render thanks unto
I Him who has given them "the power
to get wealth."       E. J. LiNnsEY.
Poplar, Mont , November 2, 1897.
A HIDEOUS CHIME.
The work of lynchers is bad
enough in any circumstances, but
when a mob takes the life of an
innocent man, on the supposition
that he is guilty of the crime of
w.-.ic;i he is accused, the wrongdoing amounts to an atrocious outrage, far worse than the act which
it is sought to punish. In the nature of things, however, lynch law is
bound to result in a miscarriage of
justice. Courts are established not
only to punish crime but to prevent
the execution of sentence upon persons unjustly accused. So careful
is the law in this respect that it prefers to let the guilty escape rather
than administer punishment upon
the innocent.
In the lynching of three Indians
in North Dakota the life of one man
was taken whom the chief justice of
that state says is proved guiltless of
the crime charged againft him. The
other two were fairly certain of pun-
j ishment through the regular process
of law. It were far better, however,
that all three should have gone free
than that the innocent should have
been   illegally   executed with  the
I guilty.
How long must it be before public
sentiment will make impossible the
commission of these crimes which
are peculiarly disgraceful to our civilization ?—Chicago Record.
Santee Normal Training School Press,
Santee Agency, Neb.