OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XI police regulations in force. Furthermore, if all the Indian tribes were concertrated upon the soil. of the Indian Territory, it is reasonable to suppose that the United States Army, of which detachments are now stationed at numerous posts a11 over the country, near the Indian res-ervations, for tbe purpose of protecting white settlers and preserving the peace, would no longer be needed a t these remote posts, ar~dco uld be more couveuiently massed near the Territory, where it could prevent any disturbances between the Indians in the Inaian Territory aud the people of adjacent States. Therefore, so far an the peace of the country, 3s concerned, and so far as the army is potent to preserve it, there would be less danger to be apprehended were the entire Indian population settled within the India11 Territory than there is at this time, when only a emall portion of the arnly @an be fitationed near it. Moreover, any apprehen8ion of danger on the part of white citize~~ofs t hose States seems less reasonable and well founded, when we take into considera-tion the additional safeguard atiorded for the protection of their com-munities by the extension, in almost every direction, of railroads and telegraphic lines. And yet it is said that this sentiment of oppositiou exists universally among the good people of these four States against the sett,lement of any more Indians of the wild tribes in that Territory, and some gay, of any more Indians at all, friendly or unfriendly, civilized or semicivilized, or savage. Of course, kith the vast unimproved acreage of valuablc and fertile lands within the borders of each of those four States, it cannot be that the hnds of the Indian Territory have tempted anq- of their citizens. Still the prejudice exists so strongly as to satisfy me that for Congress to adopt legislistion looking toward obtaining the consent of the scat-tered Indian tribes to give up their present localities and remove to the Indian erritory would be impolitic and would disturb the political and' social tranquility of a very large, respectable, and powerful section of the country. If I should mistake the public sentiment of the people .and the representatives of these States should be williug to have re-moved thither the Indians who may be willing to emigrate to the In-dian Territory, tl~eui,n that event, the subject becomes important to be considered by Oongress. Assunling, however, that I have ltorreotly divined the aImost unani-mous wish of the States mentioned, and that Congress would feel dis-posed to respect their wishes, then the further question of purchasing from the Indians all of the lauds of the Indian Territory, and of other In-dian reservations, which the Indians do not need now, or will not need in the early future, and of opening them to homestead settlement, presents itself for consideration. After allotting to each head of a family and to each child whatever quantity of land Congress, in its wisdo~n and humane guardianship of this helpless race, shall consider and determine as just and necessary, the purchase of the,balance of their lands at a fair price would seem to be wise and expedient, as the proceeds of the |