| OCR Text |
Show tem of government and appropriation of tribal property. These efforts have failed, and the Commission is driven to the alternative of recommending abandonment of these peopla to the spoliation and outrages perpetrated in the name of existing gov-ernments or the resumption by Congress of the power thus abused. They therefore recommend immediate legislation 38 follows: (1) A Territorial government over the Five Civilized Tribes, adapted to their peculiarly anomaloos conditions, so framed as to secure all rights of residents in the same and without impairing the vested rights of the citizen Indian or other person not i n intruder. (2) The extension of the jurisdiction of the United States oourta in the Territory, hoth in law and equity, to hem and determine all oontroversies and suits of any nature concerning any right in or use and ooooopatition of the tribal lzndrr of tho sev-eral nations, to which any citizen Indian or rother person, or the tribal government of any nation, is or may be made a party plaintiff or defendant. Inview of the general lack of information on the part of the public as to the legal rights of hoth parties under the treaties between the United States Government and the Five Civilized Tribes, and assum-iue that the Americanoeonle wish to do nothine oreiudicial to the riehts of-the Indians, this &a& respectfully reco&en"d that a compe'tent officer of the Government, learned in the law, be instrncted to make a careful examinstion of the treaties and an opinion explanatory of this matter iu detail. LANDS IN SEVERALTY. 1)uring the last fiscal year. nntler the act of Fet~raaryR ,18d7, pntelits have beeu iss~lrdt o 4,4GG individuwl ludinns, a11112 ,385 allutluc~~hta$v e been aouroved and now await the action of the General Land OEce. In addition to these, 2!303 allotments have been completed, but have not received final action. The total number of allotments. includiua thoselnade to hoinelessnonreservation Indians,upto the closeof Novem: ber, 1895, is 49,987, or more than one-fourth of all the Indians in the United States, not including the Five Civilized Tribes of the Iudian Territorv. (See table of allotments. Dane 11.1 , A - This, oonhdering that nearly nine ha;e passed since the general allotment act mas approved, does not indicate that the work has been oushed with alarming haste. At the same rate of oroerm another keneration lnusr p a s ~ i n n bye fore the work will be eompl~ted. Believ-ing, us we sincerely do, in the wisdolo and utility of the policy of giving homes and citizc~nsl~tioi ~1 11rlis11nw. e 1iol)e t <se~e the work go o11 with i~rcreasir~egn ergy ul~iitlh e rewrvation &stem in broken iil<and nrery infliridnal Ii~fli;~anha ll have the o.p.p o rtonity wl~ivha homcste8d gives of becoming a man amooe men. Some will fail. as some of all faces do. Some bill miss the;; opportonities. privilege always involves peril. Some will succu~ubto the evil influences and temptations which Freedom alwavs brings and eo down to ruin. But we beiieve that the great m:!jo~it?:, wit11 6r0~1c~.r d ~ i n t r i u l . a ~ oa1r1~11rl e, l igiuui trnini~~wg,~ ll s:llcly pass the IWI.~I)Ii I~ ftr ill1 and grow up iuto L I I U I ~ Y(' hri~tidnm au-hood~ aud enliglitened American citrzenship. In this connection we desire to express our gratification at the prog-ress made in allotmeuts to the Sonthern Utes of Colorado. When completed this will finally settle, or at least materially help to settle, the long-agitated question of the removal of those Indians, in which our late colleague, Mr. Painter, took so much active interest. One great peril to allottees is that they may be persuaded, for a little present gain, to alienate their homesteads by lease or sale. Acts of Congress, unwise in our judgment, make it easy to do this; but we are glad to observe that the present Commissioner of Indian Affair% who bas large discretionary powers in this matter, is fully aware of the |
