2
THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
idea is that the Indians should not be
pampered and spoiled and have money
spent upon them lavishly without doing
anything toward teaching them self-support.
The same policy which is good for
the white boy, we think, is good for the
Indian boy, and it is pretty good for
either to give him ah opportunity and
then to let him 'root hog or die'.
"On the reservations which have been
allotted, we are aiming to have the In
dians do everything possible toward de
veloping their own lands. On the other
hand, where they are renting their lands,
we are not favoring the plan and when
they sell them, we are asking that they
sell only to actual settlers who will devel
op the land, pay taxes on it and make
the property productive, thereby helping
the state and at the same time teaching
the Indian, by example, what can be
done.
"At all the Indian schools the primary
aim is to teach the girls house keeping
and the boys farming and the use of took
in connection with farms. Some of the
trades are also taught. Inasmuch as a
large percentage of the boys have allot
ments, it follows that agricultural educa
tion is fundamental in all the schools.
On some reserves where lands have been
allotted the Indians have sold out their
lands and have squandered the money,
but on the other hand, there are many
who are doing well.
- "In my judgment, if the Indian had
formed the habit of farming and had be
come attracted to the farm house there
would be fewer who would sell out. To
encourage that idea the office is employ
ing jl better class of farmers for teaching
and has been paying a higher salary to
farmers already in thd field who have
made good, and tj the new men employ
ed. Some agricultural college men have
been employed this year, but they have
not been tried out as yet. As a rule, the
most successful farming teachers are
those who have had experience with the
Indians and know something about
handHng them.
"As an example of the progress which
is being made along the line of farming
witn the Indians, I held a council with a
tribe in North Dakota, at Fort Berthold
last Fall. After talking over the farm!
ing possibilities, the Indians voted $25.
000 of their own funds for the purp seof
developing a farm on their leserve to
raise pure seel and pure stock for dis
tribution among them.
"The superintendents in the service, in
order to encoiirage the idea of agricui
ture among the Indians, have been, at
the suggestion of the office, following a
"plan of holding annual agricultural fairs.
The office is encouraging the utilization
of all school land for the purpose of dem.
onstrating the best methods of farming."
Mr Abbott is vitally impressed with
the idea of making thn Indians self-supporting
through the utilization of their
1 nds. He holds that one of the bet
methods of accomplishing this is through
the Indian schools which will, with a
large farm, teach the young Indians to
make the plants contribute the maximum
toward the support of the institution and
at the same time train the Indians to
understand the full possibilities of the
soil. He said the superintendents
throughout the country have been in
hearty accord with the policy of the
Administration in this respect.
The Assistant Commissioner has al
ready traveled 20,000 miles by train and
2000 miles by stage and on horsebacu.
He has visited the schools all over the
country and has been the first man in
his position who has spent so much time
in becoming in touch with the Indians in
their homes. The idt a of administra
ting affairs from an office in Washington
does not appeal to him, but it is to know
tirst of all the actual needs of the red
men that has taken him out into their
haunts. Oregonian.