Show I Peyote Prohibition I I By Frederic J J. J Haskin In the files mes of the committee on Indian affairs of th the house of representatives representatives there slumbers a bill which was d designed signed to take away from the Ani American Indian a certain plant drug-plant which he uses to bring him dreams and make him forget torget his troubles as alcohol Is used by white men and opium by yellow ones and hashish in India and something or other by almost ever every tribe of men menon menon menon on the globe The bill bUl was strongly backed It was given a place on the calendar and a large sum of the peoples people's money was spent in holding hearings upon It ft which were duly printed bound and filed along with the billIt billIt bill billIt It never came to a vote The reason It did not was In an all probability i that It was made clear to the committee committee com com- that the Indians would not stand for It ft They would have resented resent resent- ed as M Infringement of their perI personal personal per per- liberty The government does not hesitate to try to take alcohol I away from millions of white men who believe they have a right to use it but it do does s hesitate to try to take peyote away from a few thousand Indians Indians Indians In In- who believe they have a right to use it It It would seem that the In Indian Indian Indian In- In dian here has a force of or conviction which the white man has lost and anda a little cOQ conversation cony e Indians oMo on Ma nb e t ot hat nl T It e te 11 I tangled wilderness of almost I lost his sense of personal liberty It has been violated so often that he he scarcely knows what It Is The In Indian Indian In- In dian who long lived a life Ufe of sa savage vage freedom and who has never reaIl really Become a part of civilization real- real iv tv values his liberty as he values I his I life and Is ready to stake his life for his freedom The use of or peyote is isan an an Indian custom The Indians had peyote before before be he- fore the white men teen came God gave gava It to them Wh What t right has the tile white man to It away vay We will never give It ups up This was the reply bt f a peyote chief to a question as to whether lit Ire Indians would give up peyote if the lie government passed a law forbidding forbidding forbid forbid- ding g Its use 11 What hat t Peyote Is Peyote e is a plant related to the mescal of old Mexico and growing in that and ald other south southern ern countries It appears rs to he ve a sort of or cactus Its fruit is in the form of or little but buttons tons about as big bib bi as a quarter These contain various drugs which produce a l. l powerful effect on one the e e nerves something like that o of nr fr fOr cocaine but differing In fn some re respects respects re- re from that of ot any other known substance Peyote Is i taken b by steepIng steepIng steeping steep- steep Ing the substance In iu water and aud drinkIng drinking drink drink- ing the resultant beverage It ha has different effects on different individuals but its unique effect is 13 th that t it gives the one taking it a feeling leeling of or extreme philanthropy He feels that he Is the brother of of of- all men and would do anything for their thelt good Several white men have experimented experimented with the drug for scientific purposes and one of these who testified testified testified tes tes- before the committee described ed his sensations as follows I seemed Incapable or of having ng a abas abase abash bas bash base thought but all were of n fI high order I seemed to have for forgotten olten that there was any evil II in the world worM all was pure t hud imd ud gO gord d usually la i no tendency to o end to V e ley violence olence in o one fie under the tho Influence of peyote His need sleep is abolished and he stays awake though inactive for twenty four hours at n a stretch During this time lime he is filled with emotions of ot jO joy and of or love for all mankind His sensibility to color is greatly heightened heIghtened heightened height heIght- ened s so that the world suddenly strikes Lim him as a bright and beautiful picture At times Umes he Is said to see visions though the white men who whorl rl have tried the drug 9 not O to have y rr s vy I i had that experience Afterward there is a reaction as ag there must be from rom the use of any any- such powerful nerve stimulate but those who experimented experimented experimented ex ex- with the the- drug do not seem to have suffered an any prolonged or severe after effects The use of peyote Is undoubtedly undoubted Y growing and has been growing for years At first it was used only by bya a few tribes of Indians but now now It seems to have spread to nearly all of of t them hem There is a serf sor of national peyote society with 1 local chapters which Is well organized for tor the purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose of distributing peyote buttons It has doubtless helped to promote the feeling of solidarity among all the different Indian tribes which has bas been growing of recent years Few white people realize that India Indians Indians Indians' ns of ot different tribes travel long distances to visit each other As one Indian said We used to kill each other but but now we are always good friends The use of peyote is a religious rite among the Indians which makes It all the harder to Interfere with The peyote society meets at regular Intervals The amount of the drug drug taken by each Indian Is prescribed b by bythe bythe the chief of the society Then pr prayers pray pray- y- y ers em are said and songs are sung The effect of the plant Is to heighten heighton the r mood o of religious ecstasy Most of ot Hl l eats tr will itell tell you U. U tha that or s text for the use of the drug but many of the Indi Indians ns seem seem convincingly convincingly sincere In this as as' as asin in all of their their other religious exercises exercIse Effect of at pI Plant nt The question as to how much much harm the drug is doing the Indians isone is isone one ne upon which y you you u can gather any any amount of conflicting testimony Some win will tell 11 you that the 11 peyote te Indian is a worthless fellow and nd that peyote is rapidly debauching the whole race Many cases are cited cited of J Indians th that t have become shiftless ss and poor as a result of Its use On the other hand there are undoubtedly undoubted undoubted- ly industrious and prosperous Indians Indians In In- In- In wl who o have been using It for years One argument the Indian makes in behalf of his peyote is that the peyote user seldom drinks al alco alco- o- o hol hot Alcohol will ruin an Ind Indian Indian an more raph y than anything else lse Peyote Peyote Peyote Pey Pey- ote has been used by some of the Indians since time immemorial but bat It has never destroyed a tribe while whisky whisk in a a. a much shorter time has worked great havoc The probable truth Is that peyote stands among the Indians much as alcohol does among the whites It ruins some of the weaker ones but many of them use It without conspicuous harm to themselves If peyote were taken away from them they would merely take to other stimulants stimulants stimulants lants to which they are re less tomed Here as elsewhere the idea Ides or of achieving g moral perfection by by force is probably an Illusion At t any ra anyO-ra rate te the Indian b believes that he has a right to ors nis peyote peyote peyote-a a aright right inherited from fits forefathers and approved by his God The interesting In Interesting Interesting In- In thing is that he manages manages ages r to assert and prot protect ct that mat right Inthe In Inthe the face of a nation of reformers who r would like to take his peyote away from him Congress has failed tailed to pass a law against peyote because the committee was told that the Indians In Indians Indians In- In would not tolerate Interference with religious their religious The bureau bureau of Indian affairs has refrain refrain- refrained ed cd from front seizing peyote and ha confined con con- fined its campaign against U tine the o drug j to moral suasion The postoffice department has declared peyote un- un malla le but the Indian still g get t his his' hise r P peyote e ote regularly by mall The Fhe department department de de- of has bas ordered all shipments of peyote held up at ports but plenty of ot peyote comes in just the same It costs the Indian about a cent a button and amI he Is sel sel- sel dor haul hout It Ar J Z 1 i f- f ris r- r is h a I |