OCR Text |
Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. The Delawares justly rank among the foremost of our Indian tribes in wealth, intelligence, and all the elements of civilized life. I t may justly be said of them that they have so far abandoned their ancient customs as to leave the question of their ultimate civilization no longer doubtful. Numbering but little ova one thousand souls, they own, in addition to their trust funds, amounting to near six hundred and ninety-three thousand dollars, real and personal prop-erty, at a moderate valuation, equal to the sum of six hnndred and twenty thou-sand dollars. To these sums must be added the value of their trust lands, and it will he seen that the wealth of the tribe is nearly if not quite equal to the sum of fifteen hundred dollars for each man, woman and child. Of course they have an abundant supply for all their wants. They have, to a great extent, adopted the manners and customs of the whites, are fully awakened to the im-portance of moral and intellectual cultnre, and iu the cultivation of many of their farms, the appearance of their dwelgngs, their school-houses, and in the general evidences of thrift and comfort apparent upon their reservation, they will compme favorably with frontier settlements. I mnst not omit to mention the subject of their loyalty to the government. More than one-half of their adult male population is regularly enlisted in thevolnnteer forces of the govern-ment, and as soldiers are highly esteemed by their officers. It is, perhaps, not too much to claim that no community within the limits of the loyal Stat- can show a better record than this. While on this snbject, I will also state that the Indians of the entire superintendency, with scarcely a siugle exception, have remained h and true to the government, and several of the tribes have fur-nished a liberal quota of volunteers to our military forces. The general condition of the various tribes of the superintendency may be fairly deduced from that of those particularly mentioned. Resolutions were passed at the last session of Congress authorizing the nego-tiating of treaties wiih the various tribes of this and the southern enpe~inteud-ency, having for their object the removal of the Indians to the Indian country sooth of Kansas. With a view to carrying out the wishes of Congress in this respect, I have, under your direction, visited many of the tribes during the latter part of summer and early portion of autumn. I found the Indians fully advised of the wishes of government in this respect, and have no doubt that, when the war is ended and peace ia once more restored to the Indian territory, most, if not all, of them will gladly exchange their present homes for a home in that territory. In my former annual reports I have alluded to some of the advant-ages to be realized by the whites, as Gel1 as the Indians, from the policy which hw now been adopted. The two evils which have proved most disastrons to the Indians located in Kansas, and indeed everywhere, whwe their reservations are surrounded by whites, is drunkenness and gambling. It seems almost impossible to prevent the demoralizing effects of these vices, while they are fostered and encouraged by the vicious aud unprincipled whites who colleot around the Indian settle-ments. Another evil among the smaller and more isolated t~ibesis fast aasnm-ing a degree of importance that demands consideration. I allude to the frequent |