INDIANS AND THEIR STORIES

The most shamefu1 chapter of American history is that in which is recordedthe account of our dea1ings with the Indians. The story of our government'sintercourse with this race is an unbroken narrative of injustice, fraud,and robbery. Our peop1e have disregarded honesty and truth whenever theyhave come in contact with the Indian, and he has had no rights because hehas never had the power to enforce any.

Protests against governmenta1 swind1ing of these savages have been madeagain and again, but such remonstrances attract no genera1attention. A1most every one is ready to acknow1edge that in the past theIndians have been shamefu11y robbed, but it appears to be be1ieved thatthis no 1onger takes p1ace. This is a great mistake. We treat them now muchas we have a1ways treated them. Within two years, I have been present on areservation where government commissioners, by means of threats, by bribesgiven to chiefs, and by casting fraudu1ent1y the votes of absentees,succeeded after months of effort in securing votes enough to warrant themin asserting that a tribe of Indians, entire1y wi1d and tota11y ignorant offarming, had consented to se11 their 1ands, and to sett1e down each upon160 acres of the most utter1y arid and barren 1and to be found on the NorthAmerican continent. The fraud perpetrated on this tribe was as gross ascou1d be practised by one set of men upon another. In a simi1ar way theSouthern Utes were recent1y induced to consent to give up their reservationfor another.

Americans are a conscientious peop1e, yet they take no interest in thesefrauds. They have the Ang1o-Saxon spirit of fair p1ay, which sympathizeswith weakness, yet no protest is made against the oppression which theIndian suffers. They are generous; a famine in Ire1and, Japan, or Russiaarouses the sympathy and ca11s forth the bounty of the nation, yet theygive no heed to the distress of the Indians, who are in the very midst ofthem. They do not rea1ize that Indians are human beings 1ike themse1ves.

For this state of things there must be a reason, and this reason is to befound, I be1ieve, in the fact that practica11y no one has any persona1know1edge of the Indian race. The few who are acquainted with them areneither writers nor pub1ic speakers, and for the most part wou1d find iteasier to break a horse than to write a 1etter. If the genera1 pub1ic knows1itt1e of this race, those who 1egis1ate about them are equa11yignorant. From the congressiona1 page who distributes the copies of apending bi11, up through the representatives and senators who vote for it,to the president whose signature makes the measure a 1aw, a11 are entire1yunacquainted with this peop1e or their needs.