uieekly ...Kbematva Hmeriean
VOL. 10.
DECEMBER 13, 1907.
NO. 25
The-R.ed:?Nari
Commissioner Leupp's Efforts to
Compel the Indians to Till Land
Allotted Them and Help Them
selves. It is often said that the Indians are
being driven "off their reservations and
that it is only a question of time when
they will-be exterminated. Perhaps as a
distinct and separate race they will in
time disappear, but they are not dying
out, at least not very fast, and at the
present time, anyway, their lands are
not being taken from them without a
substantial return of. some kind. The
United States government is doing much
to teach the red men how to take care
of themselves and is instructing those
whose lands are dry and barren how by
irrigation to make them to blossom like
the rose. .
The recent trouble with a band of
Utes in North Dakota has called 'atten
tion, to the effect of the present Indian
policy of the government under Indian
Commissioner, Francis E. Leupp, who
has given years of study to the Indian
problem with a view to reaching a scien
tific solution of it. The difficulty with
the Ute band was the subject of a con
ference at the White House, and the de
cision was reached to continue in this
case the policy of the Indian bureau of
furnishing the red men opportunity to:
work and in case of their failure to take
advantage of the opportunity to leave
them to their own resources. The bellig
erent Utes put their case thus: "On our
reservation we heap .hungry. No food.
Woman and papoose die because. We
no go back. We fight first till all dead."-
But if the Utes were hungry it was
partly because of their own improvi
dence, and the government gave them the
chance to work for ; their rations. ' In
negotiating with the disaffected Utes the
government agents were aided by the
old Sioux chief American '''Horse, who
counseled the discontented warriors to
heed the advice of their white brothers
and leave the warpath.
The government has made up its
mind that it is no real kindness to the
red man to continue indefinately the
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