The Tomahawk. [volume], January 03, 1924, Image 1

About The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
* »
Justice and Fair Dealing for fY ll m Ift A IT ATT fTT ' Pu
every Indian who desires to ( H h I B /ft \HAW |\ to
become a good Citizen. mM J T T AXi / n
Vol. XXL
THE TOMAHAWK.
Official Organ of the Minnesota
Chippewas.
L. LOGAN,
Published Weekly at
White Earth Agency, Minnesota.
Entered at the Postofflce at White
Earth, Minn., aa mail matter oi the
econd class.
SURSCRIPTIOR: 51.50 PER TEAR IR ADYARCL
Secretary Work's
Proposed “Com
mittee of 100.”
(From “Our Indian Bureau Sys
tem,” by Joseph W. Latimer.)
Public announcement was made
last July that the Secretary of the
Interior (in whose departmont is
our Indian Bureau System) has
written asking one hundred prom
inent citizens to advance ideas and
possibly form a Committee on the
“Indian Problem.”
The writer heartily endorses
such a move for the publicity it
will create; and while applauding
the undoubted high motives of the
Secretary in such endeavor—still,
such a Committee will have no le
gal authority, no funds to get facts
or properly maintain itself —and
the action means more procrastin
ation and confusion of the real
issues. To qualify for efiective
report such Committee must
thoroughly investigate the subject,
free from the influence of our sys
tern.
The “Indian Problem” is only a
“Problem” because of our System.
We would have the same “Prob
lem” with every nationality that
come to our country, if, for fifty
years after arrival, we had segre
gated them on reservations, de
creed them “wards” and “incom
petents,” and kept them without
our national life, with their prop
erty snd person controlled by an
autocracy ferced upon them.
In candor we respectfully sug
gest that the Secretary has now
full power and authority to at once
remedy the notoriously evil course
of this autocratic System and to
start it on its way to abolishment.
Further, the Secretary’s recom
mendation for unrestricted citizen
ship for the' American Indian
would undoubtedly be favorably
acted upon by Congress. Surely,
after fifty years of Government
educating in fthat our System
publicly claims is “one of the most
efficient school systems to be found
anywhere in the United States or
the civilized world”—then certain
/ ly our Indian is immediately en
titled to full citizenship and to be
welcomed into our midst. If he is
incompetent to manage his estate
we can hold his individual or tribal
property for a limited time in
sonw usual legal trust, administer
ed by our Courts; but let him be
come an unrestricted citizen in his
person, with all its rights and ob
ligations, and with all rights before
our Courts, in person and in prop
erty; abolish the present farce of
citizen in name only. The Indian
of today (in spite of our System’s
advantages)
surely cannot be worse than many
of our present accepted citizens—
and all indications are that he
would be a credit.
With such unrestricted citizen*
ship —the work of our system
wonld begin to end. This grant
of unlimited citizenship is exactly
what our System has cunningly
avoided by obtaining the most un*
precedented complex aod compli
cated Congressional amendments,
and by wilful lack of following the
intent of Congress when it passed
the Dawes Act of 1887. Congress
and the nation at that time expect
ed the Indian and his property
would be completely melted into
our national life and our System
ended within a few short years
thereafter.
Edlor and Publisher,
Committees of Congress, with
full legal authority, at vast ex
pense, have repeatedly unearthed
the iniquities of our System aod
have shown that the “human
equation” is mightily responsible
for its continued atrociousness.
It is well known that the “Bu
reaucrats” (and those maintaining
them in office) who hold their offices
year after year—while the political
head is changed with the party in
power—that these are they who
really control our System and are
responsible for its monstrous evil
today. “Talk” has brought our
System to its present iniquitous
perfection. The “bureaucrats”
fatten on benevolent suggestion
and grimly continue their chican
ery.
There are leading officials in our
System today who were also lead
ing officials when a Committee of
Congress published, concerning
administration by our System,
what it characterized was: “details
of a crime of affairs, which for
fraud, debauchery and gross be*
trayal of justice has never been
equaled.” Yet our System outlives
the terms of Congressmen and po
litical Executives, And iaAtMiMgbty
that it can render ineffectual the
work of most any Congressional
Committee that opposes it. Con
gressmen, knowing conditions,
grow disheartened fighting issues
which the nation ignores and many
posted Executives have tried to
avoid.
We submit with sincere respect,
Mr. Secretary, that, easily, the
first constructive step that should
and could be taken in this “Indian
Problem,” is to clean out our Sys
tem’s present organization and let
it start honest work “to educate
and make citizens” of the Indians,
instead; a 9 for fifty years, keeping
the Indian always an Indian; and
thus insuring agreeable and profit
able life work for those who reign
supreme in, and so ignominiously
control this hnge Billion Dollar
Estate.
We hope great good to the In
dian may come through this pro
posed new Committee. But the
only constituted authority with any
power regarding the Indian is
Congress and “our System” (Bu
reau of Indian Affairs); and our
newly appointed Secretary qf the
Interior is now its political head
Committees of Congress; Com
mittees of Churches; Committees
of Welfare Workers: Committees
of Intellectuals of all classes,
creeds and degrees; Committees of
many Benevolent Organizations,
permanently organized for the
“poor Indian’s” relief—all this
and more has been done to “help”
the Indian for over fifty years,
yet our System is stronger, more
“complex,” and more settled on
the neck of the poor ludian today
than ever before.
Now we are to have a new ex
parte Cbmmiltee; and the Secre
tary in his letter to these 100 citiz
ens states, that, “for many years
the Government has been charged
intermittently with having no
policy, or with exploiting the In
dian, or with acquiescing in his
extinction, or with permitting thd
dissipation of his wealth.” We
would call to the Secretary’s at
tention the fact that no one, ex
cept our System, its votaries, and
misguided benevolent*—seriously
White Earth, Becker County, Minnesota, Thursday, January 3, 1924.
denies these charges, provided he
inserts the word “System” where
he used the word “Government.”
Congressional Hearings (not con
trolled by our System’s inlueuce)
have repeatedly and abundantly
established at different times, all
of these charges.
Many Congresses have labored
for the Indian but the Executive
Department has undone r, iheir
work. Look at the perfect M *j>ess”
that our System has made Of the
Dawes Act of 1887. Yet those
caught skillfully in perfecting this
“mess,” are the real “Kulers” in
our System today.
Furthermore, the Secretary
writes to these 100 citizens that:
“I attach hereto a resume of de
partmental data to aid in deduc
tions you may be good enoogh to
develop.” Is this new proposed
Committee to be limited in its con
elusions, and are they to be giiided
only by our System’s propaganda?
Fortunate indeed if these 100
citizens, mostly of great eminence,
will assume the of
helping the Secretary with kis
official burdens. We, of course,
know not what were the assurances
or authority under which the Sec
retary so publicly named for such
duty, men like Judge Gary, Geo.
W. Wickersham, President Butler,
Will H. Hays, Frank Munsey,
William R. Hearst, Robert R. Mc-
Cormick; Elihu Root, Arthur
Brisbane, George Ade, Josenh
Pulitzer, Jr., Albert J. Beveridge,
and other equally prominent citi
zens.
We fear that it ia too gaojUa be
true that such citizens can arrange
to spare the necessary time to
property serve on such a Commit
tee. It is certain that such emin
ent citizens would not lend their
names to simply endorse our Sys
tern’s ex parte “departmental
data,” nor. offer remedies until
they had made an exhaustive in
quiry into the entire Indian ques
tion.
Hoping that we are mistaken,
still until we see these eminent
citizens acting on such a Commit
tee, we must reluctantly conclude
that our newly appointed Secre
tary has taken a course of least
resistance with our System; and
that he is unaware that the Sys
tem’s age old trick —when “corn
ered,” or when some new official
may want to install active reforms
—is to suggest some ex parte
Committee, and if it ever forms,
then to befog its actions, and in
the delay, effectively “draw a red
herring” across its noisome trail
until a in political adminis
(ration.
If thfre must be another Com
mittee (in face of the facts already
established by uninfluenced Con
gressional Committees) why not a
fearless and an able investigation
mace in a business manner, and
one clearly uninfluenced by our
System? We venture that such &
Committee’s examination of our
System’s complete record, cover
ing ail of its ramifications, of only
one activity, namely: that of “Re
imbursable Funds”—would dis
close such a stranglehold by our
System on the Indian and his
property, and such a startling
waste of money, as alone would
establish to the nation that the
“Indian exists for our System*’
not “our System for the Indian.”
Committees, or no Committees,
wili never solve our “Indian
Problem!” The solution will come
when our Executive Department,
or Congress, forces a complete
reversal of the present methods of
our Indian Bureau. System, and
efficiently works, so that the
American Indian is permitted full
freedom to experience that funda
mental right of all God’s humans,
T' r
‘Truth 4 before Favor.**
namely: “I Claim My Own Hu
man And Divine Right To My
Own Life.”
We
To the Editor of Tub Tomahawk :
A guest in the home of one of
your residents this last week, my
first visit was to the little cemetery
over the hill where lie so many
loved and revered by us and those
who have been so much to us as a
people. And as I wandered thru
the narrow paths of the dead I
looked for a grave—a grave in
which lay one whose life had been
spent in effort for those he loved.
The grave of one whose, generous
big-heartedness was such that
when he passed away all he had
had been spent or given for others,
and little, if anything, left for his
very own. Rich in poverty he
was, for riches is counted not in
money but in deeds, and of these
there were many-to his credit. He
had always given—from of his
time, his effort, his advice and,
too, of his money. “Generous,”
somesay, “to a fault.” tho there
is ONE who would not 9ny that.
Yet I could not find the grave.
Thero was no stone to mark its
place— it was lost. The shock
was great to me, and I thot, “Do
his people know this?” The answer
was as quick, “Of course not.”
And so I write this, to let all those
whom he has in any way helped or
who care to show their appreciation
of his worth as a qaan know they
may uid in raising a monument to
(A Communication.)
B. L. Fairbanks Co.
Years of experience in buy
ing and selling groceries has
taught us that the public
want the best.
Our shelves are always full of pure, fresh and up-to date Gro
ceries, which we give to our customers at the lowest possible
Our line of
price.
Men and Women’s
“Buy where the buying is good. "
Come In and see what great buying power
a little money will have In
this up-to-date store.
The B. L. FAIRBANKS Co.
White Earth , Minnesota.
the memory of Gus. H. Beaulieu.
I myself will head the subscription
with ten dollars, and contributions
even to ten cents, for many child
ren will give, may be sent to Mr
Ben S. Fairbanks, White Earth,
Minnesota. All names being duly
published as received.
JANE V. ANDREWS.
Oct. 15, 1923.
The Local Council Meeting.
A meeting of the White Earth
Local Council was held on Dec.
28th in the Strand Theatre for the
purpose of discussing and adopting
certain bill eoncering Chippewa
matters will soon be acted
upon by Congress. After due
consideration of the nature of the
bills it was deemed advisable to
appoint a committee to go over the
various bills and at the next meet
ing, to be held on Januarv sth, a
report will be made by this com
mittee and final action will then
be taken by tbe council.
White Earth
Bus and Ex
press Line.
P. C. MARTIN, Prop.
Let me do your
D RAYINQ
between White Earth and Ogema
- - My price* are right, end satis
faction guaranteed
White Earth, - - Minn.
The
ualit
Wearing Apparel -
Boots and Shoes
ia oomplete and up-to-date
sg?
bllshed in behalf of, and
eeoure the welfare of the
dians of the United States,
Catarrh Is a Local disease greatly In*
fluenced by Constitutional conditions.
HALL'S CATARRH MED.CINE con
sists of an Ointment which gives. Quick
Relief by local application, and tho
Internal Medicine, a Tonic, which acta
through the Blood on the Mucous Sur
faces and assists In ridding your System
of Catarrh.
Said by druggists for over 40 Tears.
F. J. Cheney ft Co., Toledo, O.
SOLOMEN SEAL S
“Lodge by
the Dunes.”
A Camp for liltle Indian Child
ren. Write R. F. D. No. 2.
Chesterton, Indiana.
The faculty in charge of this
institution are admirably qualified
for their work. It is in charge of
a college trained lady who is a
graduate of Smith College for
girls, and who also spent two years
at the Massachusetts Agricultural
College, and a term at the Uni
versity of Chicago.
She has as an assistant a college
trained Indian woman who under
stands the Indian children and is
deeply interested in her work.
Charges are reasonable. Write for
paiticulars.
A GOOD SCHOOL
that guarantees satisfactory work
or refunds tuition. One mouth’s
tuition free while you investigate.
Write for catalog.
Interstate Bussiness College,
Fargo, North Dakota.
Subscribe for The Tomahawk,
$1.5(1 per year in advance.
Store
/Vo. 34
CATARRH
arc’