EDUCATING THE INDIANS, AND WORK OF CORTLAND COUNTY SUPERVISORS

 

William A. Jones

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, November 20, 1899.

EDUCATING THE INDIAN.

Annual Report of Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

MORE SCHOOLS SADLY NEEDED.

Steady Increase in the Number of Indians Being Educated.

   WASHINGTON, Nov. 20.—The annual report of the commissioner of Indian affairs, William A. Jones, besides reviewing the progress of affairs in all branches of the service, urges more schools, more systematic methods, study of individual traits and consideration of subsequent environment in outlining studies in the Indian schools. The entire educational system of the Indian office, he says, is predicated upon the final abolishment of the anomalous Indian reservation system. There are now 20,522 boys and girls in attendance at the various Indian schools out of an enrollment of over 25,000, the Indian population from which these are taken being 181,000. While the population has remained stationary there has been such a steady increase in the number of Indians being educated as to warrant the opinion that the next quarter century will witness not a diminution of the Indian population, but an extinguishment of Indian tribes. One discouraging fact, however, is disclosed by the unsatisfactory results of the past nine years trial of co-education of the Indians with the whites in the public schools. The report says the results of this coeducation are not commensurate with the expenditure; that the idea theoretically is an admirable expedient for breaking down prejudices and civilizing the Indian, but the figures show it is not an unqualified success. The full blood who needs such contact most is rarely secured, and the groundwork at least of Indian education must be laid under the government's auspices and control.

   Stronger measures for forcing the attendance on Indian schools are urged.

   There are 2,562 employes in the Indian service, and the policy is to employ Indians in every position to which they are adapted by nature. A thorough and exhaustive investigation of the Seminoles in Florida has resulted in the discontinuance of the offices of Indian industrial teacher and other employes and no school will be established for them at present, their real and fancied wrongs having embittered them against governmental assistance.

   Concerning the Indian territory, the report severely arraigns nepotism, lack of management, demoralized conditions and a deplorable state of affairs generally in administering the schools and orphan asylums of the five Indian nations.

   Reporting on the Chippewa outbreak of last autumn, Commissioner Jones says: "For many years Chippewas have been arrested and taken from their homes to St. Paul and other points as witnesses or as offenders, chiefly in whisky cases. Often wholesale arrests have been made solely for the fees which would accrue to the officials. Indians have been helped to obtain whisky by the very ones who arrested them for using it. In some cases Indians carried off to court have been left to get back home as best they could. The whole matter of arrests by deputy marshals had come to be a farce, a fraud and a hardship to the Chippewas and a disgrace to the community.

   "But neither does this by itself explain the outbreak. When a delegation of Chippewas visited Washington last winter their most bitter complaint was about injustice in the use of their funds and frauds in the disposition of their timber. Without going into details it is sufficient to say that in 1889 the Chippewas were with difficulty induced to cede to the United States large tracts of valuable pine lands on the representation that the sale of the pine would bring them in a fund of several million dollars. As is always the case, many Indians were utterly opposed to the negotiations. A commission was appointed to make allotment on ceded and reservation lands and to secure removals to White Earth of those who were willing to go there. Estimators were appointed to appraise the Chippewa pine. The expense of both is charged to the fund of the Indians. The expense of the commission up to date has not been less than $200,000, most of it in salaries. The work of the estimators proved worthless and a second set of estimators was appointed with no better results, and a third set of men was assigned to the work. Up to date about $280,000 has been charged to the Indians for estimating. Meantime large tracts of pine which had been estimated at from one-fourth to one-half their value were sold, and that loss also fell upon the Indians. Again, under authority to dispose of dead and down timber, contractors have cut large quantities of green standing timber. There are also strong indications that considerable timber was fired to bring it nominally under the head of "dead timber." This was another loss to the Indians. All these and other minor influences wrought together to produce the general feeling of oppression and distrust and exasperation which found expression when the arrests were undertaken by the aid of military force."

 

Churchill Wounded and a Prisoner.

   LONDON, Nov. 20.—The first definite news regarding the fate of Winston Churchill was conveyed to his mother last evening by a representative of the press. Lady Randolph had just returned home from a quiet dinner with a few friends when the gratifying intelligence that her son is living was conveyed to her.

   The fact that his wound is not necessarily dangerous and that he is alive in Pretoria, caused her the greatest gratification, as she had been hitherto without the least intimation of his whereabouts.

 

Cortland Hospital on North Main Street.

HOSPITAL DONATION DAY.

Friday, Nov. 24—Gifts or all Kinds Acceptable—Visitors Welcome.

   The new hospital laundry will soon be completed and the managers propose to celebrate the event by a house warming on Friday, Nov. 24, which will also inaugurate the custom in vogue in many hospitals of having an annual donation day during the Thanksgiving season. The ladies of the board will be in attendance at the hospital from 2 to 5 and from 7 to 9 P. M. to receive such gifts as the kindly disposed may bring and to show visitors through such parts as may be open on that day. Supplies of all kinds, whether of provisions, bed and table linen, kitchen and laundry supplies or money will be gratefully received.

 

WORK OF THE SUPERVISORS.

Appropriation of $25 Made for the Cortland Soldiers' Monument.

SIXTH DAY, MONDAY, NOV. 20.

   The supervisors convened at 1:30 o'clock this afternoon, each solon being in his seat.

   A petition was read from the Cortland County Monumental association asking an appropriation of $25 for the care of the soldiers' monument and grounds in Cortland during the coming year. The appropriation was voted on motion of Supervisor Alley, seconded by Supervisor O'Donnell.

   Accompanying the petition was a financial statement showing the total receipts for the past year to be $26.54, and total expenditures of $21.20, leaving a balance of $5.34.

   The select committee appointed by the last board, Supervisors Crosley, DeLong and Coe, to make the annual visit to the county almshouse, made a report in writing stating that the inspection was made Aug. 15. A number of minor improvements suggested by the last board had been made and were referred to in the report, such as new ranges in the kitchen, and repairs in the interior of the barns. The committee suggested that steps be taken in the near future for the erection of a basement cow barn of commodious size, the present barn being inadequate in which to properly store crops and grain.

   The special order of the day, the question to the board's authority to add to the audits of the several towns as made by the town boards came up, and after some discussion was referred to a special committee consisting of Supervisors O'Donnell, Hunt and Mynard to report on at their pleasure.

   This completing the regular order of business, the members of the committee engaged in committee work.

 

Cortland Normal School.

An Enjoyable Evening.

   The members of the eighth grade, intermediate, department of the Normal [School] were very pleasantly entertained last Saturday evening at the home of Mr. M. E. Watrous, 62 Groton-ave., by two of their teachers, Miss Jennie Watrous and Mr. Edwin Preston. Light refreshments were served and the evening was spent in playing games and in a musical program consisting of singing in which all joined heartily, and instrumental music furnished by Mr. Ward Jones, Mr. Preston, Miss Bessie Hawkins, and Miss Watrous. The following were present: Misses Daisy Watkins, Lena Waters, Elizabeth Van Brocklin, Annie Schermerhorn. Corinue Redfield, Jessie Peck, Florence Murray, Addie Northrup, Mary Godfrey, Libbie Donnegan, Anna Cashion, Eva Bowen, Emma Bowen, Iva Bentley, Messrs. Morton Gates, Floyd Briggs, Robert Phelps, William Byrnes, Willis Doherty. Ward Jones, Mitchell Reid, Frank Stephens.

   At about 11 o'clock the young people departed all agreeing that the occasion would long be remembered as one of the most enjoyable events of their school life.

 

Good Restaurant at Cincinnatus, N. Y.

   Among the many recent improvements in Cincinnatus noted during the past season to meet the demands of the traveling public Is the new bakery and restaurant conducted by Mr. Merritt DeVall of that village. Mr. DeVall is located on River-st. and his new quarters have been repainted, repapered and decorated in the very latest artistic style presenting an exceptionally inviting appearance. The place has also been fitted up with automatic gas jets. Gas is used to supply heat for cooking as well as illuminating purposes. Taken altogether it is one of the best equipped and most complete restaurants where meals can be had at all hours in the eastern part of the county.

 

BREVITIES.

   —The village trustees will hold a regular meeting this evening.

   —The regular meeting of Grover Relief corps will occur to-morrow (Tuesday) Nov. 21 at 3 P. M.

   —The STANDARD can use a small load of good horse hay if someone of our subscribers cares to furnish it on subscription.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—F. D. Smith, Carving sets, page 6; Bingham. & Miller, Overcoats, page 8; Burgess, Men's fine shoes, page 7; Sarvay, Shoes, page 7.

   —Mr. Charles T. Riggs of Auburn Theological seminary who was in Cortland yesterday in the interest of the Y. M. C. A. conducted chapel exercises at the Normal school this morning,