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Show COMMSSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 31 . was not permanent. This, however, is not always-no, not even fre-quently- the fault of the red man. His white brother mnst bear his proportion of the burden of the Iudiand failings. His insatiable greed for "more land," "more free homes," for greater riches, often blind his eyes to the right in dealing with these new-born citizens, who are encompassed by the wily trader, greedy land shark, and heartless money lender. Many white communities around Indian allottedreser-vations, or "sandwiched" among them, through purchases of inherited lands, fail to cooperate with the Uovernment in holding up the hands of the educated Indians, who have become, in the eyes of the law, their equals. They appear to be unwilling to protect him so long as the Indian has lands to sell or annuities with which to buy. The period is not distant when he will be turned over to the State a full-fledged, educated, but inexperienced citizen. It will then rest with such States to fosher and protect them as a sturdy yeomanry, or allow them to become vagrants, paupers, and criminals,fillin~ja ils, poorhouses,and penitentiaries, to the burden and cost of the taxpayer. That this is not a fancy picture can be shown in the actual conditions at an allotted reservation of the Middle West. These Indians have regular annuities, and on a certain day when they were paid, a special agent of this Department reported that lined along the street were many creditors-collecting from the Indians as they came over from the agency with their checks. Each of the banks had their mixed-blood employees out gathering checka. Bank-ing hours are extended during payments at the agency. The money lender geta most of the checks. The butcher and the baker are paid from frah loans. Interest conwmm a large portion of Poor Lo's income. It is a @ad and disheartening picture, and I do not believe I have overdrawn it. . The special agent further is of opinion that under present conditions it is not within the power of any agent or superintendent to do much to prevent these conditions. The remedy hae paesed out of Government control; allotment, citizenship, and opening came too soon. It can be seen now. The eastern sentimentalist and the weatem land grabber unitedly sprung the trap that has been the undoing d the Indians who had lands of value. Greed on the one hand and childishness that looks only to the wants of today on the other hand is completing the work. Retri-bution- that is not the adequate word-will come at the end of the twenty-five-year , probation, when the wmmunity will have to bear the burdens of the paupers it has made. Unfortunately, I fear that most of those who have been successful plun-derers will e a ~ ~ tphee responsibility by removing elsewhere. This is a gloomy and unfortunately not overdrawn picture. In this and similar cases the adult Indians were made citizens before they were ready. The lesson of labor was learned at school, but an unwise gen-erosity showered the bounty of annuities and excess lands on a people. not prepared by education to appreciate and utilize the giftsr. Inno-cent of business ways, or rather unacquainted with the appli- |
