OCR Text |
Show I 4 EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF amount to $21,472,423 88. This amount is made up of the following items, viz : Principal, at five per cent. of permanent annuities, guaranteed by treaty, including amounts which it is stipulated by treaty shall be invested, but which are retained in the treasury, and on which the United States pay interest ................................. $7,013,087 80 Temporary annuities guaranteed by treaty, all of which will cease in a limited period ............................. 13,295,936 08 Principal, at five per cent. of temporary annuities, payable during the pleasure of the President or of Congress ....................................................... 1,163,400 00 Efforts have been made during the past year to ascertain, with some approach to accuracy, the number of our Indian population. So far as the anuuity Indians are concerned, the required information is easily obtained; but it is almost impossible to ascertain with any certainty the numbers of the migratory and roving tribes of the far West. In respect to these, the estimates must he regarded as merely approximate. The total number of Indians within our boarders may be set down, in round numbers, at three hundred and fifty thousand. The statistical information in the possession of the Indian office is too meager and vague to enable us to determine with precision the ratio of increase or decrease among the aboriginal population. While it is known that some of the tribes are on the increase in point of numbers, at the same time that thejr are improving in other respects, thus holding out a gratifying promise for the future, it is equally well known that many of the tribes, the great majority, in fact, despite the libe~alitya nd fatherly protection of the government, the energy and fidelity of their agents, and the disinterested efforts and personal sacrifices of devoted missionaries, are rapidly on the decline. In these the contact with civilization excites no new life, awakens no new energy, and seems but to pave the way for debauchery, demorali-zation, and ruin. Unless the change of policy recently adopted by the government effect a corresponding change in their habits, there is but little ground for the hope of averting their utter extinction. The policy heretofore adopted of remooing the Indians from time to time, as the necessities of our frontier population demanded a cession of their territory, the usual consideration for which was a large money anuuity to be divided among them per capita had a delettrious effect upon their morals, and confirmed them in their roving, idle habits. This policy we are now compelled by the necessity of the case to change. At present, the policy of the government is to gather the Indians upon small tribal reservations, within the well-defined exterior boundaries of which small tracts of land are assigned, in severalty, to the individual members of the tribe, with all the rights incident to an estate in fee-simple, except the power of alienation. This system, wherever it has been tried, has worked well, and the reports of the |