The Indian Leader

THE RELATION OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Since the white man's government was organized on this continent there has been a relationship between the government and the Indian people. Some of this relationship has been unpleasant and in much other dealings of the Government with the Indian people he has not had a fair deal. It has been said that the United States Government never broke any treaty made with the Indians.

No shame on the officials of the Government. If this is true, no good can come from remembering the wrongs which cannot be corrected.

For the past 25 years I have been a close observer of the relation of the Government to the Indian people. I wish here to record my testimony that during all these years the Government has been a distinctive friend to the Indians, Congress has appropriated millions of dollars for the maintenance of Indian schools, hospitals, etc. The Interior Department, acting as guardian for the fullblood, has stood between the Indian and the avarice of the white man during all these years. Can you imagine where the Indian people would be today if the Government had turned them loose without protection as it was recommended when the supplemental treaty was signed in 1902. Whether you like to believe it or not, if they had been thrown out without protection then, there would be very few that would now have a home or a foot of land; and what is worse, even than that, they would have no education or training to enable them to earn a living. By the strong arm of the Government the Indians have been established in their own homes on their allotments of land, and these allotments are protected against the ever-increasing greed of the white man for Indian lands. It would be most unfortunate if these restrictions are removed for another 25 years. I know that some of the Indians and thousands of white people would rather I would not say these things, but I could not be true to my conscience and to the Indian race if I did not say it.

By the help of the Government the Indian people are now forging to the front. In the Government schools the young Indians are getting the best all-round training of any people in the world; they are being prepared to take their place in the civilization of this generation and to compete with the white race in business and politics; in church and state.

It has been clearly demonstrated that the Indian people are capable of the highest development. They are not an inferior race which will always be a burden on civilization. -G. L. P. in the Indian Baptist, Wetumka, Okla.