LOUIS F. PAUL,.EDITOR
C. O. PARKS, ----- BUSINESS MANAGER
Pubished every Friday by the Alaska Native Brotherhood Pub
lishing Company at Petersburg, Alaska.
Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Six months, $2.50 Per Year, $4.00
Advertising Rates on Application.
!
WE ASK YOU TO BE
CONSISTENT
-x
When the Indians of Ketchi
kan had presented in Congress
a bill to grant them title to tidal
properties, the Juneau Empire
came out in opposition because
it meant the granting of an “ex
clusive privilege.”
The Chamber of Commerce are
resoluting back and forth in pro
test against the twenty-five
miles square of lands reserved
for the use of Indians in the In
terior of Alaska. They base
their opposition to this reserva
tion on the grounds that it is
the granting of an “exclusive”
privilege.
Last year the Juneau Empire
along with its political jumping
jacks opposed the Indian Land
Suit and Bill proposed by the
Alaska Native Brotherhood
which suit was for compensa
tion for lands, timber rights,
fishery rights and other rights
taken from the Indian without
due process of law. Opposition
to this was on the ground that
it would be the recognition of an
“exclusive privilege.”
Indian Bureau an Exclusive
Privilege
Now education of the Indian
through the Bureau of Educa
tion or the Indian Bureau is an
exclusive privilege? When the
Indian asks for the abolition of
either department in the dis
charge of its Alaska duties, the
same Chambers of Commerce,
the same political machine, the
same publications raise their
voices in mighty protest against
“lotting Indian children into
‘white’ schools.” Consistency is
a jewel but too many of our
Alaska friends—so-called—d o
not have any jewels.
X
BUREAU OF EDUCATION
VERSUS INDIAN BUREAU
Road the following statement
by Representative Clyde Kelly of
Pennsylvania and then weep:
“Has Congress not appropri
ated the money for Indian
Schools? Since 1887, the date of
the Dawes Act, $115,000,000 have
been appropriated for schools
for Indians. The commissioner’s
report states that the Govern
ment has school buildings on the
various reservations valued now
at $15,660,375. That means that
money enough to provide a $40,
000 school building for every 200
children has been furnished by
Congress. The report, however,
states that the money has been
spent to build 2,450 schools.
That means a school building
for every thirty-three Indian
children. * * * It keeps the chil
dren on the reservations amid
all the obstacles imposed by such
conditions. It keeps them from
learning the ways of outside life
in American civilization, and
holds them fast to outworn tra
ditions and outgrown customs.
It makes necessary more em
rloyees. The payroll of the In
dian School System last year
amounted to $1,727,000. In the
past ten years we have spent
^ver $600 for the education of
every Indian child in the United
States. The enrollment of pupils
m a mission school on the Red
Lake Reservation in Minnesota
is evidence in point. There are
eighty-eight Indian pupils en
rolled and it takes $125, approxi
mately out of tribal funds, to
maintain each child a year.
There are children on the list
who entered the school eight
years ago, and who had sixty
months’ schooling, before being
enrolled there, and who are still
in the third grade. Not a single
child is above the sixth grade,
one of the few sixth-grade pu
pils was enrolled ten years ago,
with sixty-six months’ previous
schooling.
“The American Government
has expended a sufficient sum
to give every Indian child a high
school education. The money
has been expended, but the chil
dren have not had the educa-!
tion. Therefore they are doomed !
to be incompetent, and because
of that condition the guardian
ship of the Indian Bureau must
be continued.”
Our very first lesson in the
education of the American In
dian—be he of the States or
Alaska—was “To Civilize the
Indian, Get him into Civiliza
tion; To keep him Civilized, Let
him Stay.” Those were the words
of the late General Richard
Henry Pratt for fifty-four years
educator and friend of the In
dian. After all the Indian is just
human—with the same reac
tions as any other race. There
is no biological difference—no
difference in brain capacity, in
physical strength, in desires
and ambition. That has been
demonstrated long since. The
entire difference has been in
environment.
We bring to the shores of the
United States each year hordes
of illiterates and others—we in
vite them to our shores—or did,
and give them every opportuni
ty to become assimilated with
the American body politic. In
fact, the average American be
comes rather peeved when an
alien refuses to become natura
lized. But the average American
refuses to allow the same rules
to govern in the assimilation of
the Indian. He must be kept on
a reservation. He must have his
'own system of education. He
'must have his own agents to
oversee and care for his compe
tence. He must have a Bureau
(with a system that is judge,
prosecuting attorney, attorney
for defense, jury and guardian
I all in one—with the same force
of employees. A system un
J American and which the Ameri
can Government will not toler
ate nor permit to be foisted upon
any other race of people coming
;to our shores. It even threw
overboard as useless and as an
economic waste the Freeman’s
Board— a similar agency to
“help and protect the Negro
race ” But it maintains its In
dian Bureau for the Indian.
The Bureau of Education
So long as the Territory of
Alaska dodges its responsibility
of educating its Indian citizen
ry, and so long as it throws that
zesponsibzility upon the Feder
c.l Government, let that func
tion remain within the sphere of
of the activities of the Bureau of
Education. This Bureau has
been following along the line
of self-help,, independence for
the Alaska Indian. The function
cf this Bureau has been solely
educational—and that is as it
should be—so long as the legis
lators and other citizens of
Alaska dodge and evade their
responsibility to undertake the
education of the Alaska Indian
along with its other citizenry
and aliens within its borders.
The cost of educating the In
dian in Alaska under the Bureau
of Education is cheap as com
pared to the educational cost of
Indians in the states under tho
Indian Bureau. The results of
the efforts in Alaska have bem
oroven to be of greater benefit
to the Territory than the system
of reservating and segregating
end perpetuating tribal lan
guage, habits and customs. Up
to 1921 educational advantage
beyond the fourth grade in the
Alaska “public” schools operated
by the Bureau of Education for
the Indians, hardly existed. The
system today has schools equin
ped to carry the pupils through
high school and the education of
the Alaska Indian is limited on
ly by his ambition. Compare
that with the Indian Bureau
School on a reservation in'Min
nesota where after more than
twelve years of teaching pupils
in that school it did not have a
child beyond the sixth grade.
Where in Alaska can such in
competence be shown. How can
any teacher take any group of
normal children and after more
than twelve years of effort still
be unable to show a single child
able to make the sixth grade?
Only such a system as is man
r. ukted by incompetent, worn
cut, antiquated,and illy-prepar
•:& teachers as comprises the In
dian Bureau, can such results
be shown. We can point to
education of olien illiterates
that took monl is to assimilate
L'.nerican edw ion and ideals;
;lhc system at i resent in Alaska
!ca.n point with pride at the re
sults of their work which is more
generally succr,cful th <n ti j
iV.siem in the dates
Un-Ame' an System
We cannot but challenge the
Americanism of any system of
education which segregates and
sets aside and apart any race of
people is wrong. This is an
“exclusive privilege” if privilege
it may be called which should
receive the protest of every or
ganization and Chamber of
Commerce in Alaska, by every
church and by every publication
in Alaska. Every Chamber of
Commerce in Alaska should dis
cuss the Americanism of any bu
reau school—the segregation of
potential citizens to perpetuate
a bureaucratic machine.
Education of all citizens of all
states and territories is an obli
gation of the state and not the
function of the federal govern
ment. The condition in the fol
lowing paragraph has never been
charged against any school sys
tem other than the Indian Bu
reau system:
Representative Kelly: Mr.
Chairman, the Indian Bureau
system is a wastrel, proflgate
heyond description. It wastes
every year millions of dollars.
collected from American tax
payers and millions more ab
stracted from the possessions of,
the Indians themselves. It wastes;
still other millions which would
accrue from this untaxed Indian'
wealth once it was Americaniz- j
ed. It wastes the self-respect of i
a race and the possibilities of a j
proud people. It wastes the con
fidence of the Indians by setting
up decoys that lead them to
their doom. It wastes their la
bor by setting them to futile
tasks which have no value in
American civilization. It wastes
i heir yduth in segregated
schools which perpetuate tribal
ism. It wastes their maturity by
keeping them in wigwams and
tepee and making them aliens in
the land of their fathers. It
wastes money and manhood,
character and citizenship, and
conserves only idleness and ig
norance and vice.
In this day of conservation, it
is time to stop this waste. In
fbr clay when overburdened tax
payers are praying for economy,
it is time to save money whose
expenditure works injury to the
American Indian and the Amer
ican public alike.”
Are the Alaska Chambers of
Commerce opposed to the spe
cial and exclusive privileges be
ing granted the Indian? Under
the Indian Bureau more of these
“exclusive” privileges will be
given the Indian—more reserva
tions and the citizens of Alaska
will have no choice in the mat
ter. Then if the Chambers of
Commerce would be consistent
they would not only oppose the
special reservation orders but
they would move heaven and
earth to keep the pernicious In
idian Bureau out'of Alaska and
they would demand that the
Alaska legislature make appro-1
priations to provide for the edu-|
cation of all of its citizens.
The Indians want no special
privileges—they only ask for
the opportunity to earn for
themselves a decent living and
to secure every educational ad
vantage possible that is freely
offered to aliens and others who
come to Alaska. And in oppos
ing the special privileges the
neople of the Territory will find
strong allies in the Indians of^
Alaska.
-x
CAPITAL IN ALASKA
-x
Already the newspapers that
run Alaska are telling the new
legislators “not to scare capital
away” in editorials that sing,
tile refrain “We need capital.”
These papers insist that Alas
ka must have capital.
They do not seem to care
whether Alaska has any people j
or not. In fact, we have so far
surrendered to the demands of
“capital” that our population is
steadily shrinking.
-x
Cease worrying about two
things: those that you can help
and those that you can’t.
-x——
Direction is more essential
than speed.
*^bOo^o:o30ixox>omooxfiW»'O'owo:
| Dr. A. B. Kearsley
0 0
X Physician & Surgeon §
8 ' S
cs V/rangell - . - Alaska 0
o
tyo'owo;obmomcfo»bx>mono)a:o:o
\ J. N. I ind
“Licensed Embalmer”
Petersburg, Alaska.
At your Service
Adams Transfer
! Hauling and contracting
Wood for delivery
RADIO REPAIRING
See Lind
TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
|T. W. Benson M. D j
X X
^Physician & Surgeon*!
Office in
DAIRY BUILDING
PHONE 5 0
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JOSEPH O. RUDE
:! PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Over People’s Drug Store
H
U Office Phone 61
Home 66
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BRENNAN’S
Pool and Billiard Tables
Cigars and Tctaccos of all kinds
y Place your order for coal N0}\.
Chris Tveten, Dealer
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^ililillB!!!!llllllli;i!iliI!il,I!:iiii. 1111 I,:.^liiaiOH
|
We aim to please |
| you at all times |
with, our service
I Grand Cafe
§
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A New Shipment of
also
Small rope buoy lines,
Hooks and Twines
The
/Modern Grocery
A. 0. Heimdahl
Swanson Barber Shop
| TeYmaxwtA ADamu^ au& 3VVV |
| SAues Tbeaul^ MOotV. |
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1
PIANOS FOR SALE OR RENT
Expert. Piano Tuning' and Repairing
(Band Instruments, - Musical Merchandise
ANDERSON MUSIC SHOPPE ~v JUNEAU, ALASKA
mm
Every Month
in the Year!
SeattieFurExi
65 Marion street viaduct ,•
SEATTLE, U.S.A.
1930 SALES DATE
1931 SALES DATES
Jan. 27
Feb. 17
March 17
April 14
May 19
June 16
July 14
August 18
Sept. 15
Oct. 20
Nov. 17
Dec. 15
Special Sales Held on Request of Shippers.
Advances will be made as usual when re
quested.
Transferred by Telegraph if Desired.
i
iiiiimuidifinuniniiiiHi
Leave Seattle
Jan. 21
Alameda
Northwestern
Alameda
Northwestern
Jan. 10
Jan. 21
Jan. 31
Jan.. 31
Feb. 10
Feb. 17
Pass. & Freight to S.E. & W. Alaska
Chris Tveten, Coal Dealer.
Phone 15 Petersburg. Alaska
1
Passenger accom
odations on all the
Admiral Line Ves
sels have been
completly and ma-j
terlally improved. '
You will find them
very attractive and
comfortable.
Northbound from Seattle
Queen
Farm gut
Queen
Jan. 7
Jan. 14
Jan. 21
Southbound from Petersburg
Farragut
Queen
Queen
Farragut
Jan. 3
Jan. 14
Jan. 28
Jan. 31
INFORMATION ANO TICKETS:
Ed. Locken. Agent.
Petersburg ... Alaska
©*♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ •'
»«4«*v*m«*«*«*
Factory Lumber
Boat Lumber
Mouldings
Shelving
Milwork
Shingles
Veneer
Doors
Sash
Lath
Fir
Cedar
Concrete Products
Patent Shingles
Chimney Blocks
Building Paper
Plaster Board
Balsam Wool
COLBY
DOTSON
LUMBER
AND
l
BUILDING
MATERIAL
Spruce
Hardwood
1900-4tS AVE. SO.-SEATTLE. WASH
^^~xk~x~xk~x~xK"X~x~X"Xkkkkk~xkk~xx*X"X~xx~X"X~x-X”~
Beauty Parlor Service
i!
Miss Thelma Martens, Competent
Operator Always on the job
Chet’s Barber Shop
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