Weekly Chemawa American., January 29, 1904, Image 4

Che Chemawa American.
VOL. V II.
C H E M A W A / ORE., JA N U A R Y 29, 1901.
FORWARD I
treated as individuals and given right
chances to see and learn, quickly be­
ECAUSE you m ay n o t scale th e m o u n ta in
p eak
come efficient, common-sense, useful,
To c o m ra d e w ith th e th u n d e rc lo u d or sta r,
civilized and capable of holding their
Because y o u r sin g le a rm m ay be too w eak
To b re a k F a te ’s b ar,
own in any decent calling of our
American life, and away from a drink­
s h a ll you, in sleepy in d o le n c e , re c lin e ,
Or sig h for s te rn e r souls to lead th e way,
ing, gambling community, they do
U n til th e s u n lig h t b lu sh e s in to w ine
At y o u r delay?
not get drunk or gamble.
The trouble is that few have been
Because you fear to try th e sh oreless sea.
A lone, u n p ilo te d across th e n ig h t,
so pei m itted to go outside the reser­
Because y o u r cam p u n fo rtifie d m ay be
F o r fin al fight,
vation, and of these few, only a small
fraction have been allowed right
D espair n o t! F o r if th o u b u t do th y best,
W ith p re se n t w eapons a g a in st re a l th in g s,
chances, and that these when fitted
R em em b er H eav en , for th e fin a l test,
W ill len d th e e w ings!
are not persuaded or perm itted to
—E rn e st N eal Lyon.
stay, and go on to still higher civil­
Col. Pratt on “ Condition ized usefulness but are rather hired
01 induced by the Indian system to
oi Che Indian.”
return to destroying agency and res­
* * * The U nited States court ervation conditions, where the m an­
was in session at one point visited, hood of white men subjected to it dete­
and two hundred Indians were before riorates.
it either as principals or witnesses in
Some of our non-reservation and
whiskey cases.
all our reservation schools
are,
Not so m any years ago these In ­ through Indian Bureau planning, the
dians knew nothing about the white enemies of real and right opportu­
m an’s tire water. Who is to be blam ­ nities for young Indians to become
ed for their knowledge and use of it useful citizens.
now? Have the moral forces of the
They are planned and calculated to
white m an made any m aterial coun­ be only an extention of the reserva­
ter effort to hinder the whiskey influ­ tion system which now and always,
ences? Have we not rather quit bul­ only and absolutely, reservates aw ay
lets and resorted to whiskey in order from all contact and competition with
th a t our savage edict, “The only good our exemplary citizens generallv.
Indian is a dead In d ian ,” m ay not W hat else could such treatm ent say
fall.
to them than th at they are and m ust
Evidence is abundant th a t Indians, rem ain perpetual incompetents?
graciously perm itted to go outside
If in the beginning and all along,
their reservations and hum anely the Indians had resisted even to