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Show ! 1 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. IX one theory has been exploded which had it* advocates, if not numerous, at least very noisy for a while, to wit, the theory that "the best Indianis 5 dead one." The enlightened Uhristia~si entiment of this country-East, North, South, and West-has frowned down any such inhuman and unchristian sentiment. The friends of the Indians have differed among themselves as to the I best mode of promoting their true welfare, one view being to concentrate them upon the Indian Territory, which, under the pmvisions of the act of May 28, 1830, pud varioils treaties, was set apart for the lise and oc-cupancy of the Cherokees, Creeks, Seminoles, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and other tribes; a portion of which. has by subsequent treaties been ceded to theunited States for the purpose of locating friendly Indians and freedmen thereon, and upon another portion of which the Gov* ernment is, by treaty stipulations, permit,ted to settle friendly Indiana. From time to time several tribes and fragmentary tribes have beell re-moved there upon these terms,'and are now permanently settled and most favorably located. The Indian Territory has an area of about 64.222 square miles, or about 41,102,280 acres. I t is situated between the Arkansas River and the thirty-seventh degree of north latitude, and nearly in the center of the United States, east and west. Its climate is delightf~ll,a nd it* re-sources almost unbounded. While there are some poor lands within i ts limits, yet, taken as a whole, it is hardly excelledin it8 u;&tnralr e-sources by any other portion of the United St,ates of the same extent. Its soil is adapted to the raising of all the cereals, and cotton is cuiti-vated with profit in some portions of the Territorx, and its grazing re-sources and adap.ability to raising stock are unexcelled. It has an abundance of. water, with timber in diserent portions in limited quan-tities, while an abundance of coal of good quality is found. The advantages of this country for the location, advancement, and civilization of the Indian is strikingly illustrated by the progress of the five Civilized tribes. These tribes will compare favorably in wealth and prosperity with almost rtny agricultural or pastoral community of the same number of persons in any of. the States or Territories, and rank fairly in educ'ation, intelligence, and. progress. Each tribe has an or-ganized government, divided into three branches, the legislative, exec-utive, and judicial. They publish newspapers, carry on manufaoturiug and merchanditjing; they have their churches and ministers of the Gos. pel; they have their courts and judges, and lawjers, and stouk-raisers, and farmers, and mechanics ; they hare their sohools, seminaries,-and other institutions of le8rning, built and supported by the tribal funds of the Indians, without bther aid from the General Government, and in fact there is nothing in any civilized and enlightened community which they donot have. Now, there is land enoughh the Indian Territ,ory, if all the Indians in the United States, agcepti~lgth oae in Alaska, were removed there, |