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SPOKANE SPOKESMAN - REVIEW August 30, 1955 IDEAS APLENTY TO AID INDIANS Some Work, Others Do Not, Congress Here Told No racial group in our society has been investigated as much as the American Indian, an assistant project director for the National Congress of American Indians said yesterday. Elizabeth B. Roe Cloud said much of this activity has been well intentioned and some has been productive. Mrs. Cloud spoke at an afternoon session of the NCAI's 12th annual convention at the davenport hotel. "Some (investigations) have been conducted and guided by those with political axes to grind and others were lacking in sustained vitality," she said. Mrs. Cloud said that one of the most outstanding and "objective surveys" of the American Indian is "The Problem of Indian Administration," by Lewis Meriam and his staff. Seek Best Methods The object of the Meriam survey was "to look to the future and insofar as possible to indicate what remains to be done to adjust Indians to the prevailing civilization... that they may maintain themselves in the presence of that civilization according t least to a minimum standard of health and decency." Mrs. Cloud said the survey revealed that majority of American Indians were extremely poor and not adjusted to the economic and social system of white civilization. It also found the health of Indians compared with the general population, was bad and that living conditions of many American Indians were conductive to development and spread of disease. The report attributed these conditions to the fact that the economic basis of the Indian was largely destroyed by the encroachment of white civilization. Mrs. Cloud said. Would Pauperize Race "The social system which had evolved from the past economic life of the Indians was not suited to conditions caused by encroachment of white civilization," she said. Mrs. Cloud said the survey also revealed that several past policies adopted by the government in dealing with Indians had been of a type which, if continued, would "tend to pauperize any race." The Meriam report was completed in February, 1928. Mrs. Cloud said "to me one of the most important considerations included in the report relates to the allotment and heirship problem." Policy Called Failure "it emphasizes that allotment policy was a failure," she said. "It makes the suggestion that the revolving fund be made available to redeem this policy insofar as possible by making funds available to consolidate land holdings." Joseph R. Garry, NCAI president, told delegates at an earlier session that the Indian has had too little recognition for his part in development of this nation. "It is the American Indian who was the chief contributor of the material resources of the country," he said. "We have provided the people with the land and resources for the life of plenty." NAMPA (Idaho) FREE PRESS September 1, 1955 DOCTOR SAYS Nation Faces Large Task To Make Indians Healthy SPOKANE (/P) - The director of Indian health said Wednesday there is "an appalling amount of disease, disability and sickness" among Indians and that they had a life expectancy of only 36 years as compared to 61 for white men in 1950. "The tuberculosis death rates for Indians range 5 to 28 times the rate in the total population and the death rate among Indian infants has been 2 to 7 times greater said Dr. James R. Shaw. Dr. Shaw, speaking to the National congress of American Indians, said that raising the level of Indian health to that of the general population will be a "tremendous job." The Public Health Service assumed responsibility for the Indian health program last July 1 and established the Division of Indian Health which Dr. Shaw now heads. "In the short time since July 1, our progress has been rapid," he said. "We already have added 85 medical officers to the staff, giving us a total of 200. There has been a parallel increase in sanitary engineers, dentists, nurses, health educators and other specialists." Tuberculosis, pneumonia, influenza, infant diarrhea and enteritis account for half of all Indian deaths and all these diseases can be prevented, he said. "In order to achieve our goals, the Public Health Service has certain immediate objectives," he said. "We are expanding our medical care program by providing clinic and hospital services to as many sick and needy Indians as require this care. We are training greater numbers of Indians to aid our hospital nursing staffs and are hopeful that more will seek professional training." The Indians Congress, with 160 delegates here from 40 tribes, run all week. TACOMA (Wash.) NEWS TRIBUNE September 2, 1955 U.S. Indians Face Battle of Extinction SPOKANE (SP) - Delegates to the National Congress of American Indians were told today there is one battle the Indians must not lose - the battle against extinction. "Indian history is a history of lost causes," said Paschal Sherman, Washington, D. c., treasurer of the group. "This is one cause, the fight against extinction, that we are not going to lose." Numerous speakers at the week-long meeting have criticized the government's proposal to relax supervision and protection of the Indian and to allow individual disposal of reservation lands. The 160 delegates from 40 tribes today re-elected Joseph R. Garry, Plummer, Idaho, member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, as president of the congress. Clarence Wesley, Bylas, Ariz., member of the San Carolos Apache tribe, was named first vice president. Frank George, Nespelem, Wash., member of the Colville tribe, was selected as second vice president. Delegates will consider resolutions tomorrow, the last day of this meeting. SPOKANE SPOKESMAN - REVIEW September 2, 1955 JOSEPH R. GARRY HEADS INDIANS National Congress Retains Its Leader; Close Today Joseph R. Garry, Plummer, Idaho, yesterday was reelected president of the National Congress of American Indians at the afternoon session of the NCAI's 12th annual convention at the Davenport hotel. Garry is a member of the Coeur d'Alenes. Clarence Wesley, Bylas, Ariz., was named first vice president. Wesley is a member of the San Carlos Apache tribe. Frank George, Nespelem, Wash., a member of the Colville (Wash.) tribe, was elected second vice president. He is a member of the council of the Colville federated tribes. Note on Resolutions The 160 delegates from 40 tribes will vote today on 31 resolutions that have been bought before the convention to date. The resolutions committee worked into early morning to get the documents ready for presentation and vote on the convention floor. A motion to postpone until next year's convention a vote on amendments to the NCAI constitution was defeated. The changes were to be voted on today. the major amendment under discussion would eliminate an elective executive council in favor of a tribal member body with each tribe selecting its own representative. There are several other minor changes to be voted. A salmon bake at Highbridge park at 4:30 p. m. today will end the five-day session. Delegates took a short respite from convention business last night by attending the annual banquet. The Rev. Vine Deloria gave the invocation. Associate Justice R. v. Bottomly of the Montana supreme court was guest speaker. Serious Problems Ahead In an earlier session, Dr. Harold E. fey, Chicago, executive editor of Christian Century magazine, said the United States soon will have a serious Indian problem if land continues to be alienated from the Indians. He said that last year 500,000 acres were alienated from the Indians and "pretty soon the Indians will be like landless, wandering, gypsies with no work skills." Paschal Sherman, Washington, D. C., a member of the Colville tribe, said Indian history is one of lost causes but this ins one cause, the fight against extinction, that "we are not going to lose. "Extinction is an alarming world when it is applied to your own race," Sherman said. "Extinction is exactly what the Indian, as a member of a distinct ethnic group, is facing if he is divested of what remains of his land." Sherman said that without federal protection the Indian easily can be divested of his land "by predatory interests. Then he will drift to and be lost in the slums of our cities."
