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Show I REPORT OF THB COMMISSIONER. 17 republic. The pursuits of the chase no longer affording them an ade-quate subsistence, in consequence of the increasing scarcity of the game, necessity alone must often force them into these aggressions upon the whites for the mere purpose of obtaining necessary food. Failing to restrain and control them, we are obligated and hound, by every principle of right and justice, to indemnitr those whn suffer from their depredations. The present condition of things continuing, there can be no doubt that the amounts which will be required to pay for such depredations, added to the cost of maintaining, at great expense, an otherwise unnecessarily large military force in the distant territories occupied by these Indians, would far more than suffice, even for the first few and most expensive years of the system, for the whole cost of concentrating and sustaining the Indians in the manner suggested. As the only apparent practicable and humane arrangement, calculated to remed>- existing evlls and to prevent future calamity to these people, I feel constrained to give it my earnest recommendation. It has already been in part sanctioned in regard to the Indians in California, and during the present year it has been tried with a portion of those in New Mex-ico, with an encouraging degree of success. Indeed, the history and condition of the Pueblo Indians amply attest its entire practicability. It is strongly recommended for the Indians in Texas by our experienced and efficient principal agent there, who states that he has consulted them upon the subject; that some are anxious for the adoption of such a system ; and that all would gladly yield and submit to it. He indi-cates particular districts of country as suitalrle for fixed locations for them, and furnishes an estimate of the cost of concentrating and main-taining them for the first >-ear, as follows : 1st. Southern Comanches : for sul~sistmce,a gTiculturali mple-f ments, seeds, \va,oons and oxen, stock cattle, blacksmith work, and continsent expenses.. ...................... $28,810 2d. Ionies, Ann-dah-kas, I\-acoes, T;th-wah-carros, and Wich-etas, the same.. .............. _ ................... 26,810 3d. Ton-ka-hues, Lipans, and .\lusaleros, the same.. ....... 28,810 In all.. ....................................... $86,430 The districts designated by the agcnt are within the boundaries of Texas, but remote from any of th;. settlements, and presenting but little inducement for a white population. It would be essential to the suc-cess of the plan, however, that the United States be invested with exclusive jurisdiction and supreme control over'the reservations, in order effectually to protect the Indians from unlawful intrusions, to guard against improper intercourse between them and the whites, and, especially, to prevent the introduction into their midst of that curse of their race, ardent spirits. But few outrages of an aggravated character hare been reported as having occurred among the Indians in New Mexico since the last an-nual report. In the early part of the present season, the late governor and superintendent of Indian affairs there formed the project of remov-ing all the Indians that were within that part of the territory extending 2 |