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Show 18 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. from its southern and eastern boundary to the Arkansas on the north, and the Rio Grande on the west, and colonizing them, in snitahle loca-tions, on the west side of the last named river. Such of them as were consulted upon the suhject readily assented to the proposition, and a small portion were removed accordingly, and arrangements made for furnishing them with a limited supply of subsistence, until the crops which were planted for their benefit could inatnre. They remained quiet and peaceable, and manifested a proper disposition to aid and asslst m the agricultural labor. But no such enterprise having been sanctioned by Congress or the Executive, and the very limited means provided for the Indian service in the territory heing entirely inade-quate, this office felt constrained to order a suspension of further pro-cezdings until the whole subject could be fully col~sidered, the best coxse of permanent policy determined, and the means necessary to carry it out providetl. The present governor and superintendent sug-gests and recommends a tli6rent arrangement-that cessions be oh-tained from all the Indians in the territory of their lands in the vicinity of the while settlements, and annuities in money allowed them therefor, out of which payment shall regularly be made for all the deprcd a t' ~ons which the Ilidians may commit. He thinks that this plan would be the most economical, and that the constant liability to this tax upon their annuities would restrain the Indians from the perpetration of their usual outrages upon our citizens. To such an arrangement, however there are grave objections. Paying for depredations committed by Indians out of their annuities, instead of operating as a check upon them, serves, with the viciously inclined, rather as an incentive to the practice. The criniinal alone is not madc to pay the penalty, as, in all cases of any consequence, his proportion of the annuity is wholly inadequate for that purpose. The 1 loss falls upon the whole trihe in common-the innocent and mell-dis-posed being made to suffer equally with the guilt- ; the latter reaps all the advantage of his crime, and pays only 211 inconsiderable pro-rata part of the cornpensation made. Xor (lo the Indians feel the effect of the penalty at the time of'the perpetration of the offence, when, if at all, it would be best calculated to m:ike a salutary impression. The payment is made by the govelnment fir the depredation out of their an-nuities, hut they do not realize the fact until their funds are distrihuted-months, probably, aRer the offence-which being then forgotten or but little thought of, the deduction fiom their funds is regarded as an act of hardship and injustice. At the last session of Congress an appropriation of $250,000 was made to defray the expenses of removing the Indians in California to (<five military reservations," of not more than twenty-five thousand acres each, and subsisting them there, should the President of the United States approve this plan of operations. It having received his sanction, suitable instructions for carrying it into effect were promptly issued to the superintendent of Indian affairs for that State, then in this city; hut in consequence of the length of time unfortunately consulned in his overland journey, the requisite initiatory measures for that purpose have been somewhat delayed. Reports upon the subject have only oeen recently received &om him, copies of which are appended. I |
