OCR Text |
Show 6 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER. When the treaty came to be acted on by the Senate, it was so amended as. to restrict their occupancy of said tracts and sections '<for the term of five years from the ratificationof the treaty, and no longer," without permission from the United States; in consideration of which it was provided that they should be paid, at the expiration of thefive years, orwhen they surrendered their reservations, the sum of $200,000, and, until that time, the annual interest on that amount. The five years expired in 1541, but the annual payment of the interest on the $200,000 has been regularly continued up. to the present time, although the Indians have not been required to surren-der their reservations. Inasmuch, however, as eome of the co~llinittees of the last Congress indicated a disposition to discontinue these payments of' interest, Superintendent Murray was instructed to visit these Indians, and, with a view to the future ~o l i c vof the Government in reference to them, to report their general conhitioh, the contiguity of their settlements to the whites. an6 the necessity, if anv, for their removal in conseouence of the emigration to that regioh.' ~ r d mth e flattering account giveh by him and Ae-e nt Su.r ar.-m e of the uresent condition of these Indians, it aD. .D ears that there is an u t ~ u s td~v~crle e of improocmeni im~lp rosperity preraili~~amg ong them. Their ~~ri t~~: iml se~t lear~en nrt ~Giut sn ~~nndt l i.inlc Tr;lvrrse, \\'liere they have pu&hase& tracts of land which are well improved. A large share of the money recently paid to them they took to their homes to pnr-chase more lands, and make still itirther improvements. Many individuals, for the purpose of securing homes for themselves and families, have left the reservations and located on lands in the vicinity, which they have pur-chased from the Government. All this, and the willingness with which they devote themselves to the pursuits oicivilized life, c&mend them to the continued favor and protection of the Government. I would therefore recommend, that an appropriation be made by Congress for the purpose of enabling the Department to consummate such measures as are necessarv for the& perrnanknt settlement in the country where they now reside. The course of policy heretofore strongly urged by several of my prede-cessors and myself, in reference to a portion of the tribes located on the borders of the western States, is the only one competent, in my judgment, to save them from being swept away by the rapid and onward current of our white population. While there has been a m ~ loeu tlet at the southwest, belorv the h ~ ksto uther~io f onr colonize~tlr ibes, &lother of a 111ore northern Intitode ia reqt~i~rdle,n dinc towards our rcmutc western possessin~~s.T h e recent p~~r chims ea de fromthe Sioux of a large portion^ of their country supplies this outlet in part, and will enable the Government, by the removal of a few tribes between the Sioux territory and the Kanzas river, to throw open a wide extent of country for the spread of our population westward. This is the only practicable means of saving the border tribes from extinc-tion. Without it, in a few years, they will be forced to abandon their pres-ent possessions to an emigrating population, and be driven forth to perish on the plains. All the arrang'ements necessary and proper to prevent so sad a catastrophe should be made ere it is too late, else an abiding reproach will rest upon our Government and people. If timely measures are taken for the proper location and management of these tribes, they may, at no distant period, become an intelligent and Christian people, understanding the prin-ciples of our Government, and participating in all its advantages. The necessity for an appropriation to carry these measures speedily into' effect is the more apparent and imperious, in view of the already imposingdernon- |