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Show ,.pt. C. C. Hall -3- If you do not, you are like a rudderless boat on a big sea. I refer, as you may guess, to the question of a new mill and to the subject of a poor house or old folks' home. As regards the mill, my general attitude towards such things is as follows: an open reservation places the Indian, as nearly as possible, upon the same footing as an immigrant from abroad, equally ignorant and untrained in the ways of our world, and;although we are obliged to give these poor people a little lift here and there, the establishment of any distinct machinery for their gratuitous assistance I think is always a step backward. In old times it was customary, when we set up an Indian reservation, to put a mill on it,and several other things of permanent value, and make these a present to the Indians, o.nd then we issued plows and harrows and wagons and harness and various other things, also as gratuities, a.nd the result was the steady and progressive pauperism of the Indians. I appreciate all you say about the waste of valuable water power. I agree with you that is a pitiful waste; but the same waste has been going on at Niagara Falls for some thousands of years. Sometime it v/ill be advisable to harness trie waters near V/h,iterocks just as we have begun to harness the waters of Niagara Falls , but it would be a mistake to make an excuse for ouch harnessing in the shape of a well-meant but damaging gratuity. I write this personally and privately to you so that you will understand perhaps better the attitude of the Office wn.n the official treatment of the subject coiaes to you. Official lettei |
