' Weekly -Cbtmawa Jdmerfcan
VQlTi3 . AUGUST 12, 1910. ,' NO. 4-5
Farming Declared
Best for Indians
Farming in anything except homeo- '
pathic doses is what F.' H. Abbott, As
sistant Commissioner of .Indian Affairs
Drescribes for. the young Indian?. Mr.
Abbott --is making a 35,000-mile tour of
the field, and since taking office, less than
a year ago, has spent over half the time
out among the Indians, al ways., talking
farming, advising the oid Indians to
till their Own lands, and to send their
offering to the schools, where they can
be taught the modern methods of farming.
Mr. A.bbott , paIsed through Portland
Wednesday en routes to the Umatilla
re-, i vation.' From there he will visit the
Yakima, Puyalup;, Tulalip, a nd Colville
reservations in Washington, and then go
to Montana. He spent Wednesday at
the Chemawa Indian. School, where the
commencement exercises were held and
where helelivered the diplomas to the
eight young Indian graduates. . Mr. Ab-
. bott went over the school farm of .440
acres and encouraged the idea of agri
cultural instruction which is being fol
'owed at that institution, For, four
I "ionths he lias been on tne pisetit trip
and it will be another month and a half
before he returns to Washington.
Mr. Abbott denied that it was he
policy of the present Administration to
do away with the non-reservation schools;.
He said: - 1-
"It is the policy of the present : Ad
ministration to make the schools provide
for the Indian children who cannot be
provided for otherwise, either with good;
reservation schools or with public schools
Wherever possible, when the Indians
have received their allotments and taken
their lands in fee simple and are paying
taxes and are living in white communi
ties, they are being encouraged to send
their children to the white public schools.
The idea is to get them off the Govern
ment rolls as soon as they become self
supporting. That is the solution of the
Indian problem.
"They are now becoming self-supporting
to a greater or less degree in the
different communities and it is apparent
they are making progress as rapidly as
could be expected. 1 We are doing away
with the non-resetvation schools only
where the Indians can get as good or
better facilities at their own homes.
There, is no cut and dried theory.' The'