The American Indian in the United States, Period 1850-1914: ... The Present Condition of the American Indian; His Political History and Other Topics; A Plea for JusticeMoorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
History
The American Indian in the United States, Period 1850-1914: ... The Present Condition of the American Indian; His Political History and Other Topics; A Plea for Justice
Moorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Government relations -- 1869-1934
In 1908 the United States Board of Indian Commissioners published a
table containing answers to twenty-six questions. The information is
valuable and was of service to the Government in handling Indian
problems. I do not reproduce the table here for the reason that
excellent though it was, it omits protection of property, and vital
statistics. Under my chapter devoted to health I have discussed, in a
general way, the health of the Indians, but have not presented tables
for the reason that I do not wish this book to become too statistical in
character.
Feeling that none of the statistical and other reports submitted by
Superintendents, Special Agents, Inspectors—or even the Honorable
Commissioner himself—emphasized the phase of the situation which in my
eyes seemed the most important, I have prepared a table of my own.
Two general questions might be asked every man and woman in the Indian
Service, every educated Indian, and every person living in, or near,
Indian communities. These are:
_First._ “Is the Indian citizen treated as the white citizen, or is he
discriminated against?”
_Second._ “Has his moral, physical, financial and general well being
increased or diminished, the past twenty years?”
On these two very pertinent and important questions hang the entire
future of the American Red Race.
After some thought, I decided to obtain opinions from those who knew at
first hand how our wards were progressing. The information I desired
must cover all of the United States, where Indians now live. Naturally,
it was confined to the region west of the Mississippi, with the
exception of tracts in Wisconsin and Michigan.
The excellent table prepared by Commissioner Sells in his report of 1913
is based upon statistics sent in by Superintendents, teachers and
physicians. Of necessity, it could not include statements or opinions of
missionaries and other observers. It presents the views of employees in
the Department.
After deliberation, a series of fourteen questions were prepared and
addressed to upward of 300 men and women representing every reservation,
Indian community, or school. Nearly half of these replied, and on pages
345 to 358 I have presented their comments grouped under these various
questions. I have tried to make the questions sufficiently elastic to
cover every phase of the subject. Specific requests applied to one
section of the country, might be out of place in another. For instance,
a series of questions concerning the Navaho, might not be answered
intelligently if applied to the Ojibwa of Wisconsin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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